My Sister Needs Your Help

Many people have read my story about growing up with domestic violence.  The title, "Nobody Would Have Been Surprised If I Had Died," landed on the Best of Journalism 2017 for a reason. It was true. Nobody would have been surprised if any of us had died. Everyone knew about the violence, the alcohol. The three little girls who lived in that house.  But this story is not about me. It is about another one of those three little girls, my younger sister Marie.  Addiction, alcoholism, abuse, has been handed down to the women in our family for generations. Many people told us we didn't have a chance growing up like we did. They didn't expect much to come of us. At 15 years old, Marie started to prove them right. She became a drug addict and she went down a very dark road. She lost herself and I couldn't be around her anymore. I had to say goodbye. I was angry, too, as children of alcoholics and siblings of addicts often are.  Marie changed her name to "Maverik." When I saw her, it was haunting. My sister was gone. The stories of how she lived were haunting. Nobody Would Have Been Surprised If She Had Died Either. Thirty years later, Marie kicked drugs completely. She found God. She found a purpose. She spent all her time in the church, teaching the children to sing.  She started showing up for life and for herself. Marie is now one of my best friends. She is there when I need her. She is there when anyone needs her.  But her past has followed her into her present. Too many  drug deals gone bad, hanging around with the wrong crowd. Marie was the victim of not one, but several violent crimes.  Her face beaten, her jaw broken. Her teeth fractured. She holds her hand over her mouth in embarrassment when you meet her. Her mouth is infected, teeth are missing. Her jaw needs to be reconstructed, dentures put into place. It's a year long process of healing. The total cost of jaw reconstruction surgery and dentures is $17,000. The dentist is giving her a grant. He believes in her, he can see she has changed her life. Through friends, family, art sales,  ebay sales, working two jobs,  and selling her car,  Marie has raised a lot of the money herself.  But she needs our help now.  Marie beat drugs, Marie beat addiction. I didn't think she could do it. But she did. I have my sister back. Now we need to show her we have her back. $7465 is what is left. That's right, she's come up with just under $10,000 herself. The Dentist will not perform the surgery until he is paid in full upfront. The infection in her mouth is growing. The Dentist said we need to get into surgery now, before more problems arise. Please, instead of that latte and croissant this morning, give Marie that $5 or $10. Giving always feels good and this sister of mine has gone through hell and kept walking.  I love you, Marie. You did this. You deserve this. We got you now...

FOR CONFIRMATION:  Vista View Dental Care Address: 1235 W Vista Way Suite #C, Vista, CA 92083 Phone: (619) [phone redacted]