Family and Friends,

Most of you have heard me talk of my  senior citizen friend, George Nelms, who I met while volunteering at Lincoln County Senior Center in 2016.   During my volunteering with George, I found out that he  is truly one of a kind and does not act his age (80)!    He is full of life,  full of jokes and full of mischievousness.   No matter what, George always has a smile on his face.  We have remained friends these past 5 years.  George is now  part of the family and joins us on holidays .

The Situation

Recently, I dropped in on George to wish him Merry Christmas.   At that time, I found out that George had broken his  lower dentures.  He has been living on soup ever since !     Due to his fixed income and other medical bills, George could not afford new dentures  and was just going to try to do the best he could with no bottom teeth.   He has been losing weight with this approach which concerns me. 

As I drove home that night, my heart was heavy.  I knew that I had to do something to help my friend regain the ability to eat solid food again.    I was thinking how blessed most of us are and how many people could come together to help one person with a basic need.   

So , if you know me, I took matters in hand!   I took George to  a dentist I trust  at  Carolina Dentures .  The awesome folks there helped us understand the options and  diagnosed  that George has 5 fractured root tips with infection in the lower gum that need extraction.   Additionally,  his upper denture is causing sores on his lower gums which is extremely painful.   This needs to be treated as soon as possible.  We are stepping out on faith and have scheduled his extraction for February 8th. 

Background Information:

George's wife passed away a few years ago.  George  lives on a fixed income and  copes with  multiple medical conditions.  He has  chronic lymphoma leukemia which is under control without medication.    He also has a throat condition caused by previous  radiation treatment for a tumor behind his ear. The treatment damaged nerves to his vocal chords which causes difficulty with speech and causes him to choke often.  George has had multiple esophageal dilation procedures for this condition.   George must regularly go to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center to see a specialist.   Through Wake, George  has Zoom sessions with a therapist that have given him techniques in breathing and how to position his head for less choking.  The doctor is  thrilled with his progress!

Additionally,  George  had two emergency room visits this year.  One for a fall  which required stitches and another for an  extreme high blood pressure episode.

 Through is all, he has kept a smile on his face and a joke ready to tell!

The Need

I have sat down with George and analyzed all his medical bill and finances.  Yes, Medicaid/supplemental insurance has paid.       What I found is that the hospital recommends putting your balance on a loan and make minimal payments of 25.00 monthly.   I feel that this system is not understood by the elderly and ends up putting them in debt. 

I tell you all this information because I am determined to help George get his extractions and new bottom dentures.   Additionally,  I would like to see him  freed from these hospital expenses that have accumulated. 

Based on the breakout below,  my goal fundraising goal is $5000.00.   I would like to see us raise this in 1 month.  I will oversee the money, have set up separate bank account for that and will pay the bills directly for George.    I will post updates every step along the way.

Our family loves George and I know you would too if you met him.   I am asking all of you to join me in helping  George get  extractions, new bottom dentures and pay off his remaining medical bills.    It only takes  200 people giving  $25.00 to change a life!     Any amount is appreciated. 

If you have any questions, please  contact me through this page.    

Also be aware that you can donate anonymously via this site.


 Here is the exact breakdown:

Dental:

·        Carolina Dentures Quote

               o   Extraction and bottom denture    1586

Medical Bills:

·        Access One (Atrium transferred to a loan company)

                o   1281


 .      Atrium Health

              o   618



·        H & R Accounts (Atrium send to collector instead of Access One)

             o   165
 

·        Commerce Bank (Wake Forest transferred to a loan company)

             o   482



·        Wake Forest

             o   847