Nicole's Jaw Surgery

Nicole's wait is over, it is her turn for life-saving surgery!

And we, as her community, can help make it happen!

Nicole is a bright 17-year-old who has grown up in the Salmon Arm area. She is cheerful, a fighter, and a dreamer, despite the adversity she has faced in her lifetime. Nicole has begun her transition planning to adult services. She has been dreaming about what her future will hold, where she might live, and is excited for an opportunity to attend Okanagan College in Salmon Arm with the hopes of one day starting her own graphic design business. Nicole is a phenomenal artist and is always giving to others, sharing her art, or anything she has, to brighten someone else’s day. Many in Salmon Arm know her for this, even if they don’t know her name, they’ll recognize her as the one who complimented them out of the blue or shared her latest drawing with them.

Throughout Nicole's life, she has had to have many different surgeries. Nicole has a rare diagnosis of Trisomy 8 mosaicism syndrome (T8mS), a condition affecting chromosomes and therefore her development.

Most recently, Nicole has been working toward jaw surgery. The fear is that without the surgery, she won’t be able to get enough oxygen and could die. This surgery will also provide Nicole with better oxygen while she is sleeping, allowing for better rest, and hopefully, feeling rested when she awakes.

This process has been a long wait and a lot of work to prepare for jaw surgery, starting with many orthodontist appointments and braces. The surgery itself requires breaking her jaw and moving it forward to open her airways and help her breathe. After surgery, she will have to maintain a liquid diet for 6 weeks while her mouth is essentially closed shut, and soft foods for another 6 weeks after that. She will also need to continue with braces and orthodontist appointments, as well as other post-surgery appointments. All this right before her pivotal graduation ceremonies coming up June 2023.

This surgery will literally save her life; and yet, it is not fully covered by medical. Her surgeons have graciously reduced the rate; however, it will still cost Nicole’s family $3,000+ just for the surgery. Nicole’s parents will also be taking time off work to help take care of her as she stays in the hospital for a few days and has months of recovery. There will be many trips back and forth to Kelowna as well as other post-surgery costs. With these costs and other future surgeries looming, Nicole and her family could really use the support of their community financially.

Nicole’s family has also faced many challenges throughout their life together, but they face each one with courage and strength, bringing them closer together. This is a family who gives so much to others, helping them now will continue to pay it forward, as they will continue to help others in whatever ways they can.

Nicole is scheduled to have her surgery on Monday, April 3rd, 2023, however, the payment needs to be made by Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023.

Every little bit helps and is so appreciated!