Help our friend Michelle Whittle Vollmer

Hi, you guys know me as Sheila Wade Blackburn.

My friend Michelle needs a little help. When her children were young, Michelle found out that she has systemic Lupus. She has been treated with various medications from NSAIDs to steroids to chemotherapy drugs and biologics. The medications and the disease have caused multiple problems physically and emotionally. Still, she put herself through college and began teaching HS English and Drama. Sadly, she had to stop teaching due to her compromised immune system and poor health due to constant exposure, she moved to North Carolina and ultimately had to quit working full-time altogether due to health issues. She is on Disability for Lupus and has a part time job as the director of a small non-profit disaster relief agency.

Needless to say, money is tight. She does have health and dental insurance through a Medicare advantage plan, and has been fortunate to be able to cover most health care without issues. The current problem is two-fold:

1. Intensive dental care in the US is expensive and dental insurance doesn't cover much of it.

2. Thanks to the ravages of medications and lupus, Michelle is dealing with avascular necrosis, which means she has bones that are dying. This has also lead to Michelle's teeth crumbling to the point that they all have to be removed, and she will have to get dentures.

The dentures are affordable. The oral surgery required to remove 25 teeth is proving to be a problem. Her father has been very generous, but like Michelle, he is on a limited fixed income. To have the surgery done in NC where she lives will cost between 9 and 12 thousand dollars. The work is much cheaper in Mexico and she has found a reputable surgeoun. With travel expenses it would be about $5500.00. She doesn't mind going to Mexico, but unless something changes she would have to go alone. She will have to be put under anesthesia either way, and that is scary to face alone.

The bottom line is that Michelle needs options, and that requires money. Eating is becoming steadily harder. Smiling is even tougher. This happened over the course of about 16 months and is now a huge struggle.

If she can get it done in NC, she would have a lot more support. If she has to go to Mexico, she is willing, even alone.

Anything will help. I want her smile intact. She has enough medical issues without this.