Reporter Back On Air After Losing Her Smile

By Andrew Gauthier 

Mary King, a 25-year-old reporter with WIS in Columbia, SC, was knocked off the air earlier this month after the right side of her face suddenly became paralyzed.

King was on a plane at the Charlotte airport on June 1st, waiting to take off, when she realized that she couldn’t move the right side of her face. She alerted a flight attendant and after deboarding the plane, she headed to a nearby hospital, where she was eventually diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, a relatively rare condition that causes facial paralysis.

“I love my job. I’m one of those people who loves getting up and going to work in the morning,” King told ABC News. “The first thought that went through my mind was what if this doesn’t go away and I can’t do my job anymore?”

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Making matters worse was the fact that King’s wedding was just around the corner and she had dress fittings and bridal showers scheduled.  Unable to move move half of her face, King was sidelined from work. After three weeks of medicine and therapy, King regained most movement in her face and was able to return to WIS last week.

Here’s King reporting on the incident…

[WIS, ABC News]

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