A Falkirk dentist can’t wait to get her teeth into a special Olympics role.
Patricia Manson will be courtside at the Games’ basketball matches, on standby to carry out emergency treatment to players who suffer mouth or dental injuries.
For sports fanatic Patricia, it is a dream come true.
She said: “When I head that the Olympics were going to be in London, I wanted to be a part of it.
“I heard they were looking for dentists for the medical team covering the games and decided to apply.”
Over 20,000 did the same, with just 4200 successful.
She will travel to London for July 29 and will work nine long shifts between then and August 9.
Patricia owned the Banockburn Dental Practise since 1995.
After qualifying in Dundee in 1989, Patricia (44) moved to Stenhousemuir to work, and met husband Graham at a local squash club.
Over the past 20 years, she has worked on the emergency out-of-hours service, which she hopes will stand her in good stead at the Games.
Patricia said: “In the out- of-hours service you get lots of sporting injuries lots of emergencies and abscesses.
“It will be different being right on the field of play.
“I might have to splint a tooth in place and patch the person up so they can get back on the field of play.
“The basketball arena is one of the most vibrant and exciting places to be, and is a really high energy sport.
The dentist’s role is a voluntary one, and Patricia has to pay her own expenses.
Patricia added: “It’s all very exciting but quite daunting too.
“Graham and I love sport and that’s rubbed off on our three sons who are really excited for me.
“They’ll be coming down at some point because they have tickets for some of the athletics events.”
Comments