To patients it is just a regular injection making their lives easier.

But the reaction to a Kent Messenger feature on people having Botox treatment on the NHS has gone global.

We told the story of Patricia Webster, a 58-year-old mother of three of Beechmore Drive, Boxley, on our website and in last week’s Kent Messenger.

Since she was almost totally paralysed by a life-threatening condition called Guillain Barre syndrome in 1991, she developed a side effect where she would involuntarily cry every time she ate.

The little-known condition is called Crocodile Tears and the cure is Botox injections, something more commonly thought of as an anti-ageing treatment.

The toxin is injected underneath Mrs Webster’s eyelid, into the palpable lacrimal gland, which controls tears.

Mrs Webster’s story has featured in five national newspapers and local TV news.

Both Mrs Webster and Margaret Gurney, a consultant nurse who runs the Botox clinic at Maidstone and Pembury Hospitals, were approached this week by ABC News in America.

Mrs Webster said: "It is a little overwhelming getting all this attention. I just hope my story does raise awareness of the value of the clinic and Botox.

"One thing I really just want to come across is how grateful I am to everyone – Margaret, the hospital staff and my doctors, who kept trying to find a way to cure the tears."

Mrs Gurney added that she was overwhelmed by the interest. The trust is also getting calls from people eager to find out if Botox can help them.

Botox – botulinum toxin – is not just used for crocodile tears. The treatment also helps people with facial ticks and tremors.