When Brittany Atkins' mum was diagnosed with breast cancer just before Christmas 2020, the only thing on her daughter's mind was making sure her mum got better.
After starting treatment on January 5, 2021, Brittany's mum was able to make a full recovery, with doctors stating that the chemotherapy was so effective they could no longer see any signs of a tumour in her scans.
However, the treatment came with nasty side effects that Brittany and her mum were completely unaware of - including dental problems that caused her mum's teeth to "roll completely inwards".
Brittany said: "Chemotherapy is really powerful and life-saving, but there are so many side effects. We know about losing hair, we know about getting really unwell, but there are really random ones too like blisters on the soles of your feet, and it’s a really unique journey for different patients.
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here.
"In mum’s case, it’s been a lot of dental problems. She’s had a few teeth decay and had to have them removed, but the main problem is how much movement there’s been. Her teeth at the back have rolled completely inwards, which is really uncomfortable. It meant she had to go on a soft food diet and it put her off eating."
Dental cover for cancer patients is not automatically covered by the NHS, and after visiting five dentists who refused to treat Brittany's mum, she finally found one who would do the work needed to give her mum a "working mouth" again - for £12,000.
The 31-year-old from Peckham added: "Eventually, we found a dentist that was willing to treat my mum, and the bill was £12,000. Which is a bit ridiculous, and that’s just to get a functioning mouth again. It’s not about aesthetics, it’s not about getting that perfect smile, it’s about having the option of being comfortable and having a working mouth."
Now, Brittany is embarking on a charity run that will see her complete 100km around London and Essex in an attempt to raise money for her mum's much-needed dental treatments - and she also hopes to raise awareness for the financial stress that is placed on cancer patients who face similar issues.
Since her mum faced breast cancer, Brittany's routes are designed to look like boobs when viewed on a map, and she's even set a personal goal of running as many different shapes as she can, including boobs with scars and uneven nipples.
She explained: " Finding boob shapes to run is hard, but it’s running them is really fun. You spend a lot of time staring at Google Maps trying to find a route. Planning the nipples is especially funny, and you have to search for little cul-de-sacs to create nipples from.
" I’m just trying to make the boob shapes diverse. I’ve done some boob shapes that look like they’ve got a scar in them, or running some without nipples, or some with nipples in different places."
Alongside her charity run, Brittany is also encouraging people to sign her petition to change the law that will make dental care available to patients on the NHS - which she hopes will ease the pressure on people already facing the toughest time in their lives.
The woman explained she had no idea how much admin work cancer patients face before her mum went through the process herself, and she wants to help those who don't have anyone else to rely on.
She said: " I had no idea until we were in this journey how much admin cancer patients have to go through. There are so many forms they have to fill out and so many appointments they need to schedule and remember.
" Thankfully, my mum had me to deal with finances and appointments and cleaning and cooking. But the dental struggle was just this huge unnecessary problem on top of everything, and I know that if she didn’t have me to do the fighting and the organising, then she still wouldn’t be getting seen by anyone.
"Last year was such an eye-opener on how much cancer patients have to deal with. It’s just such a stressful administrative procedure, and it was just really disheartening to see that at the peak of somebody’s personal problems, they’ve got to fight to find a dentist willing to treat them, and they’ve then got to get a credit card and take out a massive loan to have the treatment.
"It’s just so unfair. So although this has definitely been inspired by my mum, I kind of feel like it’s not for mum, it’s for people that don’t have anyone to help them."
You can find out more about Brittany's charity run on her Crowdfunder page, and you can sign her petition to make dental care free for cancer patients through Change.org.
Have you got a story to share? We want to hear all about it. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk
