‘I lost my smile – now I’m helping others find theirs’

Hattie Colwell was just 24 when she started to experience headaches, dizziness and nausea.

- by Laura Collins

She was working in Canada as a live-in nanny and little did she realise she would be diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Hattie underwent surgery in Canada in 2023, but soon after the operation she developed facial palsy, impacting the movement and tone on the left hand side of her face.

Upon her return she was referred to specialists at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in a bid to help to restore her smile and provide psychological support.

Hattie’s care helped her to manage both the physical and emotional impact of facial palsy, which can leave one side of the face with a drooping appearance and challenges with blinking, eating or speaking.