I know this community gets bombarded with these pleas for help everyday. Everyone has a horror story, and is so deserving, LGBT rights, veterans, children, cancer patients, but I am laying myself bare to you all to try and get my fundraiser to go super, duper viral. I have had it up for almost a year. My goal was to be able to smile and eat before my next birthday (45!!) Yipee, but it has done poorly. My newest goal is to be able to smile and maybe eat popcorn when I go see my beloved Star Wars VII in December 2015. I want to make that happen. See my preamble below..
I am in a lot of pain, physically and emotionally. I just don't know how to explain my situation anymore only to say that I am in pain and feel so bad, so horrible. I only have 9 teeth left, unable to smile, unable to eat normally beyond soft foods, like soup or mashed potatoes - it seems so trivial but it's also caused severe agoraphobia and social anxiety that I already had before this whole cancer and dental drama unfolded. More below the squiggly of hope and doom...
I have been a Kossack since 2009, 3 years after I was dropped from my health insurance in 2006 after a battle with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma caused in part by Sjogren's Syndrome. A few years ago Venus Williams, awesome, bad-ass tennis star was diagnosed with Sjogren's and I thought, and felt, that finally someone would pay attention to us. Sadly the only thing that's happened thus far is those damned "Awareness" bracelets and oh so much concern...blah, blah, blah. But my teeth are still gone, I am still in pain, still stuck in this damned apartment in N. Hollywood. I HAVEN'T BEEN ON A DATE SINCE 2009!!!! i just feel so stuck..
In 2004 I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in my parotid glands, directly correlated with Sjogren's Syndrome, a debilitating and progressive auto immune disorder that attacks the moisture producing glands in the body; salivary glands, mouth, eyes, nose, etc. All was okay, all way fine, I was dealing with it so well, all on my own, by myself, mostly because a chicken shit BF couldn't handle my illness and took off so fast my head is still spinning (Bastard!), but anyway. It was fine, I got all the necessary super expensive dental work done before I started radiation therapy as I was told to do. I did my part, I spent my savings and got it done, but as expected the condition got worse - the only difference now I was totally broke. Blue Cross dropped me in 2006! Do I pay out of pocket for oncology follow ups or dental care? Can't do both on my low income. Now I just need to get these teeth fixed and start my life over. I need a new start. I need teeth! I just want to date again. I can't explain it, it just feels like my only hope is money, just plain, simple, money. I have had my Go Fund Me set up since my B-day last year. I will be 45 on June 29th, my goal was to be normal again by 6/29/15 and so far my fundraiser has only raised a fraction of what I need to just get upper implant dentures.
Just a note, Implant dentures are very expensive, but Sjogren's patients can't use regular dentures, the kind you take out every night and put in a freaking jar. Why? Because any removable appliance just zaps what little saliva we have left so the expensive option is what is ideal for us, yet that is the big thing - it's expensive. There is a chain of implant centers called "Clear Choice" they charge $40,000 to $100,000 for upper and lower implant dentures. If I can get into UCLA or USC dental schools I can maybe get upper dentures for $15,000 and then I will accept my fate and get regular dentures for the bottom until I can save enough for implants, but at least if I can get the upper dentures done I might be able to date again, or go out, or be social - I just need my page to go viral.... KOSSACKS PLEASE MAKE MY GOFUNDME GO VIRAL!!!! If there is any way to just get my story out there. Sjogren's, Cancer, dropped from insurance, struggling and I know it sounds frivolous, but this little gal just wants to leave her apartment and go on a date again.
Many of you know me, like Meteor Blades, my first ever diary made the "rescue list" and I was so thrilled - Help me Kossacks, you're my only hope!!! My fundraiser is below. I just don't know where else to turn. Kossacks! A guy made $27,000 to make a freaking potato salad, another guy pulled in thousands to stalk his ex-girlfriend on Spring Break. A diary today brought in $30,000 to improve her home and show bigots that she supports gay rights. Which is so fracking awesome! Why can't a nice, average gal from CA raise enough to just simply smile again? Please help me make my GoFundme go viral. I just want to leave my apartment, go on a date, get out, socialize again. Help me please!
http://www.gofundme.com/...
Sun Jun 21, 2015 at 6:24 PM PT: Just to add: I know it sounds frivolous and out there, but dating is not my only goal, being pain free, being able to smile, being able to eat normally all comes with getting dentures. I was just trying to be whimsical and following what most news outlets go for, "potato salad guy" "rainbow decorations to tick off neighbor" etc. Seems to be a tactic that works so I went with it. I still have cancer, I still have no teeth, I still am in horrible shape, but I do try to maintain some sense of humor.