Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PROVO — As Ursula the sea witch, 15-year-old Hailey Bennett sings about misfortune. In real life, Hailey was feeling pretty unfortunate as well.
"It was so bad," Hailey said. "I had to plan what I was wearing with it. It was always on my mind. Being self-conscious about it made it even worse."
She suffered from hyperhidrosis, a condition that affects one percent of the population and causes excessive sweating. Her palms perspired so badly that pools of moisture formed. The problem got worse, and more embarrassing, as she got older.
He shook my hand and another one of our kids' hands and he shook Hailey's hand and he said, 'I've found our patient.'
–Jeanette Bennett, Hailey's mom
"Oh man — that's one of the big reasons we did it, because boys are 'a thing,'" she said.
Dating is right around the corner, but Hailey dreaded even the thought of it.
"I'm like, 'I'm never going to prom. I'm never going to any of the school dances because that's so embarrassing. And no boys are going to want to ask me, because after the first one they'll tell every it was so gross.'"
That's when she and her parents decided they needed medical help and found the right doctor for the job.
"He shook my hand and another one of our kids' hands, and he shook Hailey's hand and he said, 'I've found our patient,'" said Jeanette Bennett, Hailey's mom.
Dr. John Mitchell, a cardiac surgeon at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, did Hailey's outpatient surgery. The procedure took about 45 minutes.
"When I met Hailey, her hands were soaking wet — classic finding of hyperhidrosis," Mitchell said.
"The nerve is called the sympathetic chain that begins at the base of the skull and it extends through both chest cavities into the abdomen," he explained.
KSL-TV
By cutting a portion of the nerve from each side of Hailey's chest, her hands are now dry.
Before, Hailey would be nervous backstage, worried about her sweaty palms. But now she can perform comfortably.
"You poor unfortunate souls!" Bennett belted out at the top of her lungs in the center of the black box theater, in full costume, including tentacles.
A poor unfortunate side effect of the surgery is excessive sweating on the chest, but Hailey said that hasn't been a problem. In fact, she said she's feeling pretty fortunate.
"Oh, I'm going to prom. I'm going to all the dances now. Watch out, I'm coming!" she said.
