Reconstructing Katie’s Smile

Hi everybody. I’m honestly terrified to launch this campaign because I don’t want to be remembered this way, but I really need help. I hurt myself, badly. It was a freak accident at home during the pandemic. Around 9:30 am I got up to use the restroom and before returning to bed, I felt all the life drain out of me and I fainted, for the first time in my life. I went down, really hard. I landed directly on my front teeth *so* hard that there’s actually a bite mark in the floor near my bed. Not only did I break several of my front teeth and cave them in, I also broke my face. Specifically, I broke my alveolar maxilla- that’s the spot on your skull where a mustache would grow from. I sustained injuries to my throat and my right hand as well, but that’s not why I’m here asking for help. I’m asking for help because I have already been through three oral surgeries to help correct the break. What’s left of my teeth and their roots are still so loose that my dentist and oral surgeon don’t know if they can save them or if I may require a bone graft and implants before multiple crowns or even a dental bridge. If that’s the case, I’ll most certainly have to increase my goal. In the meantime, thank goodness we’re all wearing masks, right? All joking aside though, I’m honestly terrified. I’m afraid to show my smile. During a time when we’re all uncertain about our futures, just the physical act of smiling can be what keeps our heads above water. To make matters worse, most of you know that I’ve made my career as a visual artist and a vocalist. I’m terrified I won’t sound the same when I sing and I won’t look the same when I perform and I’ll have to start my life over from the ground up. I could start over if I have to, but gosh I’d like to be able to smile when I’m doing it. Your help would mean the world to me. Any help at all. Perhaps if it’s true that flowers leave a bit of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them, then we’ll be smiling together.