Hi, my name is Tara Madden and I am fundraising on behalf of my best friend Marc Olides. As many of you know Marc is one of the kindest, sweetest and giving individuals on the planet. He would literally give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Ever since I have known Marc back in university, he would help others with their courses, or even help his friends by making them food as we were all starving students. This giving attitude has been a constant in Marc's life as he has committed his life to his family and his friends. When his family was going through a tough time financially, Marc stepped up and put his entire life on hold and helped to pay the mortgage on his parents house as well as the monthly bills. This went on for almost a decade and Marc was unable to put himself first as he was worried about his family and wanted to make sure that they were sufficiently taken care of. This is just the type of person that Marc is and unfortunately this has led to some dental issues that are now beyond repair and will have to be dealt with full mouth reconstruction.

Here is a little about what is going to be required to help Marc take care of himself for once. He has always been an independent person and more often then not, he is the Helper, and the Fixer. We are starting this fundraiser in hopes that it will change his life for the better. For years he has struggled with poor dental integrity. As of his last consultation, he was told in the next few years that eating and talking will become next to impossible. His confidence, mental and physical health have really been impacted because of it and he know needs our help as he cannot do it on his own.

He starts every day feeling like less of a person, often feeling more like a monster. He thinks constantly about his interactions with others as his smile factors into his professional and personal life.

He doesn't like to talk for long periods of time, the fear that someone can see exactly how deteriorated his smile has become. His conversations are usually quick and he tries to keep his head down as much as possible. He doesn't start a conversation if he doesn't have to.

He eats quickly, and is limited in what he can eat, as his bite, missing, or worn down teeth, make it less then comfortable, sometimes painful, if not impossible to eat. He does his best to eat alone if possible, but he misses sitting down with friends and enjoying a meal and friendly conversation.

When it comes to his personal life, he holds back. He feels as if he's not worthy of finding love, as he doesn't see how they could get past the way his teeth look and function. He's afraid to put himself out there and feels that he doesn't want someone to settle for the way he is now. He wants to be able to smile that funny smile when he gets a message from his love. He want to be able to kiss his partner passionately and not feel so self conscious.

His mental health is deteriorating and every day is a struggle as he feels like a "monster". Most days he can get by with little negative feelings about his self worth, other days it's a struggle to just get out of bed. We just want him to be back to his old self, and feel like him again. And for this he needs our help.

He's done all he can, and had so many referrals to try to get this situation under control and every time finances have been what has held him back. He's applied for grants, and unfortunately most programs don't consider him as a candidate as he doesn't fulfill certain criteria, he's not on social assistance for instance is one. His last consultation gave him a treatment plan, giving him some hope, as all the issue can be resolved, but then his dreams crumbled when they gave him the cost and no payment options.

The funds would strictly be used to cover the cost of the procedures needed to correct his bite and fix his teeth. To avoid having to list it all, as it's a lot, he needs at least 6 root canals, 6 crowns and gum surgery and many other procedures to get his smile healthy and most importantly functional.

If you can help, it would be greatly appreciated, much more then you'll ever know. I cannot think of a more deserving person in my life that needs our help more than ever. I want nothing but the best for Marc and would appreciate any help that you can provide to get him to where he needs to be. We all need to rally and help those in need as you never know when you will need your "village".

Sincerely,

Tara Madden