Smile Centre UK set to donate implants for snooker legend
The Smile Centre UK has offered to donate dental implants to former snooker champion Alex Higgins.
The amazing donation comes in the light of shocking images in the press, showing Higgins looking gaunt and ill; the former champion has been surviving on a diet of baby food following a lengthy battle with throat cancer. Treatment for the cancer caused Higgins to lose his teeth and he has been unable to eat solid foods for many years; consequently, his weight has plummeted to just six stone and friends say his condition is deteriorating daily.
On Tuesday a fundraising dinner was held at Yang Sing in Manchester; friends and colleagues gathered to raise money for an operation to fit dental implants, which could potentially save Higgins’ life. The aim of the dinner was to raise £20,000 for the treatment; however, Higgins and his friends were stunned when Barrie Semp, from the Smile Centre UK, offered to provide the dental implants and dentures free of charge.
Talking after the fundraising event, Mr Semp said he was privileged to be in a position to help Alex Higgins and would like to give something back to a man who entertained thousands of people during his illustrious snooker career. It is believed that the implants will radically improve Alex Higgins’ quality of life and could even potentially save his life. The Smile Centre UK is based in Whitefield and serves patients across Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
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No words can express what Barrie Semp from the Smile Centre has done today in donating dental implants to save the life of Alex Higgins. As a genuine snooker fan I just want to say thank you a million times over for what you have done for Alex today.