Please help a disabled man access significant dental surgery

Hello! My name is Sienna and I'm fundraising to help a fellow community member access dental services.

Tyler is a 30-year-old man who obtained significant and life-altering injuries several years ago. These include CTE (brain injury), PTSD, and ongoing immobilizing back pain.

Tyler faces multiple barriers to living a normal life and has fallen through the cracks in so many ways. In my time knowing him I have learned that he is a deeply humble, private, shy and self-sacrificing young man who would literally give someone else food while he himself goes hungry. He does not use alcohol nor illicit drugs. Tyler lives in poverty in a one-room shed, with his monthly rent using 85% of his disability benefits. He suffers from Celiac Disease so he is unable to eat most of what is available at food banks, and he often goes hungry. Tyler also lives 2km from the nearest bus stop so accessing free food resources with limited mobility is a barrier as well.

We have spent months attempting to access benefits and resources: unfortunately there are simply not the services available to him that you and I would expect someone in his position to have. It's been an extremely disheartening and frustrating experience.

This brings me to why I have chosen to start this fundraiser. Due to chronic malnutrition, a lifelong fear of dentists, lack of access to free dental care for complex oral health problems, him not qualifying for the Canadian Dental Benefit (yet), and absolutely zero money leftover after rent and food, Tyler has very significant dental issues that have gone untreated. At this point they have become severe, causing debilitating pain and an inability to eat much. He has steel plates in his face and head as a result of his injuries and this dramatically increases the costs of any and all dental assessment and work.

Step one: We need to get Tyler in to see a dentist. I've connected with several dental offices and have found a low-cost one that will provide a general exam, xrays and the like for the basic fee schedule cost. Tyler receives PWD so some of that is covered (40% up to $1000).

Step two: Tyler will need extractions and/or root canal(s). These will cost well above any coverage he has even though we are doing it through Cool Aid Society.

Step three: Once we know what we are dealing with, we will see about repairing fillings, removing cavities and fixing broken teeth. This will cost much more but the exact figure is unknown at this point.

The priority is to get him in to see a dentist, have him assessed for emergency issues that need to be dealt with immediately, and treat any infection. That's what this fundraiser is for. The truth is we are looking at up to 10k in dental work and when a person doesn't have $2 to spare that's extraordinary. But we can start here.

Thank you for reading. Truthfully I'm disillusioned that after months of research, resource-finding, speaking with multiple agencies and community organizations, there are SO MANY barriers in the way for someone like Tyler. He obtained catastrophic injuries and we as a society have continually let him down. He would never say that: but I will.

Thank you for your time and generosity. I've kept the initial fundraising goal relatively low because no amount is too small. Everything helps.

Please note: happy to provide copies of the receipts of dental work that has been completed.