Hi everyone,

My name is Jacob, and this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever written.

I’ve gone back and forth for weeks about whether to create this fundraiser, because asking for help like this feels humiliating. But I’ve reached a point where I can’t keep pretending I’m okay or pushing this off anymore.

I’ve been living in a dental nightmare for about eight years.

It started when I was receiving orthodontic treatment in Western Pennsylvania. I finally had braces and a treatment plan, and for the first time in my life I felt like I was on a real path toward fixing my teeth.

Then everything collapsed.

The orthodontist I was seeing suddenly had his office shut down due to legal issues. My treatment was abandoned mid-stream. My braces were left unresolved. And because of my health insurance situation at the time, this was the only provider I could afford or access.

Not long after that, my life took another devastating turn.

I became seriously ill and ended up hospitalized for about six months. When I got out, I fell into a deep, crippling depression that completely changed my life. I was barely surviving, let alone able to coordinate complex dental care or pay thousands of dollars out of pocket.

On top of all of this, I suffer from a condition that causes weakened tooth enamel, which makes my teeth extremely vulnerable to decay, cracking, and infection. So while my life was falling apart mentally and physically, my teeth were literally deteriorating in my mouth.

Since then, everything has just gotten worse.

I haven’t been able to afford health insurance. I have spent what little money I’ve had trying to stay alive mentally — paying for therapy and mental-health treatment instead of dental care. It was never a matter of not caring. It was a matter of choosing between two emergencies and always picking the one that kept me alive.

I now work full-time, about $20 an hour, and even with that, there is absolutely no realistic way I can afford the care I urgently need. I won’t be able to afford real health insurance anytime in the near future either.

Meanwhile, my teeth are now in catastrophic shape.

I’m dealing with:

• severely crowded teeth

• multiple broken teeth

• ongoing infections

• and agonizing, relentless pain

The pain is so bad that it now dictates how I live my life.

Some days I can’t eat properly.

Some nights I can’t sleep.

Some moments the pain is so sharp and deep it makes me feel sick.

But what people don’t talk about is the mental torture that comes with this.

I hide my smile.

I hide my mouth when I laugh.

I avoid smiling in public.

I avoid photos.

I avoid social situations.

Every time I laugh or talk, there’s this split-second panic:

Did they see my teeth? Did I look disgusting just now?

I live with constant shame about my mouth.

This has infected every part of my identity. It’s not just a medical problem anymore — it’s the thing I think about all day, every day. It decides what I eat, how I sleep, how I socialize, how I date, and how I feel about myself as a human being.

I recently consulted with dentists, and both came to the same conclusion:

the only real path forward now is full-mouth dental implants.

The rough estimate just to get started is about $20,000.

That number feels impossible to me.

But the alternative is continuing to live in constant pain, watching my teeth rot out of my head, risking serious infections, and letting this destroy my physical and mental health even further.

This isn’t cosmetic.

This isn’t vanity.

This is about:

• stopping constant pain

• preventing dangerous infections

• being able to eat normally

• being able to sleep

• being able to smile without shame

• being able to live like a human being again

I’ve delayed this for years out of fear, depression, and money. I’ve done everything I could to handle it on my own.

I can’t anymore.

If you can donate anything at all — even $5 — it genuinely helps more than you know. If you can’t donate, sharing this means just as much.

I hate that I’m here asking for help.

But I hate even more that this has taken over my entire life.

Thank you for reading this.

Thank you for caring.

And thank you for helping me try to get my life back.

With gratitude,

Jacob