Go Find--I mean Fund--Brahm's Teeth...

**Update below, read first!**

I’ve set up this Go Fund Me page for our friend Brahm Taylor. Most of us know him as an actor extraordinaire and all round nice guy. Another of his many talents, however, is hockey, both on the ice and on the court. Lethal speed, deft hands, a tenacious, never-quit energy—Brahm puts all these together to make him the alarmingly effective forward that he is. Frankly, he’s a pain in the ass for us goaltenders.

 

GIVING US LIP

On February 12, Brahm had his upper lip split in half and teeth broken by a rare and errant high stick. At VGH ER, he received several stitches to sew his lip back together, and a splint now holds his remaining teeth strong. One tooth broke in half, and the tooth beside it cracked through, needing to be pushed back into his jaw.

 

SOMETHING ROTTEN IN THE STATE OF DEN-TAL

Brahm has had to endure a long stretch of extreme dental discomfort that I can only imagine. In his own horrifyingly descriptive words, “The nerve pain from the dying root was brutal, and the dead animal smell of decaying rot when I got the root canal was grotesque.” (To say nothing of the whistling—Brahm fired off a rendition of “Sing a Song of Sixpence” at Kits Beach one afternoon. The resulting sibilant blasts from each 'S' he sang out sent the neighbourhood dogs into a howling frenzy. It was simultaneously deeply fascinating and utterly terrifying.)

 

DENTAL SURGERY AIN’T CHEAP

The sad reality is that actors in Canada have only minimal dental coverage through their actors union (UBCP/ACTRA). Brahm has had to float nearly $3800 through the ‘generosity’ of credit cards. The work completed includes removing the splint, followed by two root canals. One was successful; however, the second tooth split too deeply into his gum, rendering the procedure moot. Implant surgery was required to remove the remaining tooth and set a post in his jaw for a future crown. Healing will take four months before the crown is implanted. After his insurance coverage, the implant with the crown will cost almost $3500. With medication and other medical costs, the total looks closer to $4000.

 

AND HOCKEY FACE DOESN’T GET YOU AN ACTING GIG

On top of these immediate and future dental costs, Brahm has also suffered the loss of several acting opportunities. Fat-lipped and toothless are not, unsurprisingly, character traits in high demand (although, with playoffs starting, there might be a Hockey Night in Canada commercial coming up that needs a gapped-toothed ruffian). It is hard to quantify these sorts of things, as an audition isn't a guaranteed job. But as the great Wayne Gretzky once stated, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take", and by that same adage, you don't book 100% of the gigs for which you don't get to audition.

 

HELP A BUDDY OUT!

Any amount will help offset these extreme costs. The appeal is going out to our hockey network, but please share the link with anyone you feel can help. Thanks in advance for your kind charity, or, as Brahm would put it, “Thuper generothity of thpirit!”

 

Pete Grier

 
UPDATE 6/12/22:
Wow!  First off, a huge thank you to the donations so far; over half in only a day and a bit!  I'm blown away by everyone's generosity so far, it is by far unexpected.  
In addition, I just got word from Brahm he's received another piece of amazing news: his application to the Actors' Fund of Canada was accepted, and they are sending him almost $3500!!  So we've basically surpassed the target I set, which will cover his costs so far, plus the upcoming implant surgery (as far as the dental team has estimated).  Brahm was told there might be a few extra costs from follow up visits, so the extra we've passed so far should help with that.
 What a whirlwind.  I'm going to leave the Go Fund Me up for now, as I still have to organize the process of transferring the money with Brahm.  And if anyone new reading this still wants to donate, that can help cover lost wage opportunities to Brahm.   But after only a day, and the windfall from the AFC, we've done it!  So proud of our community.  Really, totally blown away.