A lady who suffered from a severe type of oral cancer that remained misdiagnosed lost her nose, teeth, and a portion of her jaw; she also earned a £900,000 compensation.
Andrea McNicholas, 49, complained of symptoms including having a hole in her palate that wouldn’t heal for more than a year before the illness was finally identified in July 2011—by then at its most advanced form.
She endured a grueling 20-hour surgery in November of the same year, during which her neck was dissected and her nose and a portion of her jaw were removed.
Mrs. McNicholas of Wigan suffered permanent facial injury as a result of the procedure.
After a house party, police are called as youths spill out into the streets.
She will probably need a feeding tube for the rest of her life, struggles with breathing and swallowing, and is so low on confidence that she almost ever leaves the home.
She has now been granted £900,000 in an out-of-court settlement after Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust accepted culpability after a four-year inquiry.
p:nth-of-type(6)”,”type”:”performPlaceholder”,”relativePos”:”after”} data-placeholder data-response-start=5362.8999999976158
Due to my frequent confinement to the house and sense of helplessness, this has had a significant impact on my mental health, according to Mrs. McNicholas.
How Andrea’s appearance has evolved throughout her therapy
I only leave the home for appointments since I feel weary easily. I am also quite self-conscious about my appearance. No matter whether I have thick glasses on or have most of my face covered, I feel like everyone is staring at me.
“I’m not the same person I used to be, either in terms of looks or demeanor.
‘What’s the sense of really being here when I can’t do regular, everyday activities, which most people take for granted?’ I wonder at times. I simply want to be normal, but I’m not sure whether I’ll ever get there again.
In June 2010, Mrs. McNicholas had worries about a tiny hole in her mouth that was not healing, and her concerns led to a referral to the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan for an MRI scan.
There, it was advised to do a biopsy; but, when she went back two weeks later, she wasn’t given the findings and was instead given an antibiotics prescription.
Her symptoms became worse over the next year until she started to experience excruciating pins and needles that would shoot across her top lip and down her right face.
Even though her dentist kept sending her back to the hospital, it wasn’t until July 2011—more than a year later—that a second biopsy was performed.
Sadly, at that point it was too late, and the findings showed that Mrs. McNicholas had oral cancer that was in stage 4.
“I was told I had a very advanced form of cancer, which I now know to be squamous cell carninoma,” the woman stated.
According to Mrs. McNicholas’ test findings, the cancer had migrated from the roof of her mouth, where it had originated, to her upper gum line, cheek bone, and nose. It was also eating away at her eye socket and tear duct.
Her top lip and the glands on each side of her neck also have it.
Andrea prior to receiving her terrible diagnosis
The diagnosis was very sad, she continued. I found it hard to believe.
Mrs. McNicholas had three rounds of chemotherapy to reduce the tumors that were devouring her face before she could have surgery.
She claims that the surgery in November 2011 “severely disfigured” her face, leaving her a shell of the person she once was.
Due to problems in her treatment, she had to undergo post-operative chemotherapy and radiation. She even had a cardiac attack, which delayed her recuperation.
She had a series of invasive reconstructive procedures, but since so much bone and tissue were taken during the first procedure, they did nothing to alter her look.
Mrs. McNicholas still has to wear a prosthesis since she is missing her nose, teeth prevent her from eating, so she must be fed via a tube, and she is unable to close her left eye, so she must tape it shut at night to sleep.
She now needs hearing aids in both ears, and her left arm has movement issues as a result of having grafts removed from her back to try to reconstruct the inside of her mouth.
But more deep than her psychological and bodily wounds.
She is unable to work or socialize because she is too ashamed to leave her home.
Only a face transplant, which is presently only offered in the USA, offers her any prospect of regaining any kind of normalcy.
Before beginning radiation in 2011, Andrea had a mask built (Photo credit: PA Real Life)
Nevertheless, since she has a history of cancer, the anti-rejection medicine she would need to take after the operation might severely shorten her life expectancy.
She remarked, “I never thought I would look like what I did after surgery. “I don’t want to brag, but before my diagnosis, I was a little, attractive woman, and what I became was astounding.
“I wouldn’t approach a mirror when I was in the hospital. I was unwilling to face myself.
But a few weeks later, while using the restroom, I unintentionally got a peek of myself. My heart was broken, and I will never forget that feeling.
“I knew that my life had changed forever.”
An attorney who handled the matter, Stephensons Solicitors LLP, stated in a statement that Mrs. McNicholas would have had a left neck dissection with portion of her upper jaw and septum removed, but not her nose.
“To fix this, reconstructive surgery would have been performed at the same time, and the missing teeth would have been replaced with implants later on. She would have been able to eat, work, and generally lead a regular life without any effects on her sight, hearing, or mobility, and she would have avoided a cardiac arrest. Chemotherapy or radiation would not have been necessary.