West Springfield woman hoping to restore smile damaged by chemotherapy

WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - A West Springfield woman is looking to get her smile back. After undergoing chemotherapy treatment for a year, her teeth are slowly fading away.

Days before Christmas 2020, Bobbie Phillips received news that changed her life. At just 23 years old, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkins Lymphoma, a form of cancer that impacts the body’s lymph nodes an immune system. She said going through this battle in the height of COVID-19 had a strong impact.

“During the pandemic, it was really hard. I felt very isolated…I was alone. I couldn’t have anyone with me in my appointments, my chemotherapy appointments, or even surgery. I had to have people wait outside, Phillips said. “Thank God for Facetime because it would have hurt even more.”

She told Western Mass News she’s thankfully been in remission for over a year, but now, a side effect from the chemotherapy she had to undergo has been damaging to her mouth.

“My teeth are just slowly falling out. I had already lost one, but they are slowly chipping. Mainly, so far, it’s my front teeth that are really chipping and falling apart and kind of disintegrating to a point…but eating, drinking, brushing my teeth, everything, I have to take extra precaution for because I don’t want to break them even more or make the process faster,” Phillips added.

She said this has literally wiped her smile away and has impacted her confidence. Her dentist suggested implants, which is a pricey procedure not covered by her insurance, so she started a GoFundMe in hopes of gaining support from the community. So far, she has raised over $1,100.

“The community has pitched in and they’re doing whatever they can. They’re sharing my post, they’re donating, they’re supporting me, reaching out to me, asking if I need anything and I couldn’t thank them enough for their support in help so far,” Phillips explained.

If you are interested in supporting Phillips, you can CLICK HERE for more information.

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