National Smile Month competition winner

As part of National Smile Month – a charity campaign to get the nation thinking about our oral health – its organisers the Oral Health Foundation are delighted to announce North London’s Samuel James Leckey as the competition’s first winner.

Samuel, nicknamed Sammy, was nominated by his grandmother, Alison Doherty, a head tutor at Temp Dent on Arcadia Avenue, Finchley.

Alison fondly talks about how her grandson’s smile completely lights up a room.  Alison says, “Sammy has complete kidney failure and will have to go through a transplant this year. My daughter (Rebecca) and son-in-law (Jonny) are an inspiration for perseverance and care for all his needs.

“Not only do they have a nightly dialysis routine to follow with him with disinfection of tubes, weighing and measuring involved, but also, more recently, he has been confirmed to be profoundly deaf and needing a cochlear implant.

“Despite his disabilities and slower development due to the kidney issues and medication, he is such a happy boy with a very dirty laugh! He lights up my spirits and all those around him with his happy, infectious smile!”