TV Reporter Looks Past Bell's Palsy - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.
A local TV reporter is discovering how to smile all again.
Mary King, a TV reporter in Columbia, South Carolina was looking forward to her wedding when the right side of her face wouldn’t move while being on a plane. Fearing she was having a stroke, she called the flight attendant for help, deboarded the plane and headed to the nearest hospital. Doctors were able to find the cause of the paralysis and diagnosed her with Bell’s Palsy, a rare condition that results in the paralysis of facial muscles. Caused by a disturbance in the functioning of a single cranial nerve, Bell’s Palsy can take days to months to resolve itself.
As an on-air professional, King was devastated that she couldn’t smile and looked so awkward forcing her to stop reporting. She had trouble eating and needed to wear an eye patch to prevent her cornea from drying out. Eventually her condition improved and by the 15th day she was able to smile again. Three weeks later, she is 97 percent recovered and went back on the air to report her own experience.
