For the first few months after the operations her face had been completely paralysed. This had left her at first not just unable to talk but also with a face like a mask, so that it seemed she had no feelings at all – even the most intense emotions were hidden, unless sometimes a tear rolled down her expressionless cheek. It is sad how easy it is to dismiss people with damaged or disfigured faces, to forget that the feelings behind their mask-like faces are no less intense than our own.
