Help Atman Get His Smile Back! (Dental Implants: Lower Jaw)

Flying to India for Bottom-Jaw Tooth-Implant Surgery: A call to Mutual Aid!

Atman Johnson has been without teeth for 13 years, but the cost of dental implants always made such a procedure seem an unattainable dream. Flying to India and having it done over there, however, costs only a small fraction of what it would in the United States. Earlier this year, we were able to raise money for him to fly to Kerala, South India and have permanent implants and a set of replacement-teeth attached to his upper jaw. You can see that new string of pearly-whites shining below his upper lip, in the photograph above! He's very thankful for this upgrade to his appearance and quality of life - but the job's only half-done. Sometimes it's even harder to eat, with permanent teeth up top and no denture on the bottom. Thus the need for this present call to action. Let's come together one more time to get implants installed in his lower jaw. What a beautiful day when our gentle friend can eat, smile and speak with ease, like he hasn't been able to in so long!

Atman has been a devotee of Amma; the Hugging Saint Mata Amritanandamayi - for many decades. Also, since the 1980’s, he’s lived in Yogaville as part of the Integral Yoga fellowship founded by Swami Satchidananda in Buckingham, Virginia. After his wife Annam died in 2002, Atman spent seven years as the sole caregiver for his son Param, who had severe cerebral palsy. He passed on in 2009 at age of 21.

Near the end of 2023, his friends and spiritual family from these two overlapping circles of yoga and Vedic discipline pooled together to finance a 3-month trip to Amritapuri Ashram - the South Indian home of his beloved guru, Amma. It was also seen-to that while he was here, he was able to get dental implants installed into his top jaw. It is our hope that through one more unified act of mutual aid, we can complete this mission and get him back to India to have replacement teeth installed in his lower jaw. It will be such a joy to see him able to bite into things and eat what he wants - and to be able to smile unabashedly, with a full set of teeth. This is something that many of us take for granted, but which he has had to do without for a very long time! $3,000 will cover the cost of flights to India and back to the USA. It will cover the cost of a full set of dental implants being installed in his lower jaw - and it will allow a small stipend for living expenses and his meals at Amritapuri, where he will stay for the months during which this is taking place.

Atman is a 76-year-old retiree who lives alone in a very rural location. Since 2011, he has had lingering Neuro and physical deficits as a result of a surgery, but spends his time as health permits, volunteering on trails at a state park, and once a week baby cuddling at the NICU in Charlottesville.

Each month he manages to subsist on a meager Social Security check. This covers his mortgage, utilities and basic car expenses. There’s nothing left over for unplanned expenses or saving for an emergency. His 20 year old vehicle with 300,000 miles is often undependable and he needs something reliable to continue doing what he does. So additional funds are necessary for a replacement vehicle as well.

Atman is not one to ask for help, though he’ll be the first to volunteer if he hears of a neighbor in need; enthusiastically going to great lengths and inventing creative solutions - even if it’s someone he barely knows anything about. When it comes to his own needs though, he stays humble and quiet, never complaining or drawing attention to the sometimes graceful, sometimes challenging times of aging alone in the sparsely populated countryside, with no money to fall back on, or living family to call for support. He’s brought smiles to so many faces and warmed so many hearts over the years, so I feel called to make his situation known in good faith that his need will not be overlooked. This is our chance to give something back and show that the Sangha he’s been devoted to for so long sees and appreciates his generous heart and warm demeanor. Very recently Atman was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor at his left eyebrow which will be surgically removed, and he has maintained an optimistic attitude. Let us support him wholeheartedly as he transitions through this trying time and continues his life in service to others. Thank you So Much for helping to make this miraculous dream come true!