Help Restore Christina's Smile

On March 16, 2011, I was robbed of my smile when I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy. Now I’m raising money for selective neurolysis surgery so that I can smile once again.

 

History

In March 2011, after not feeling well for several days and two separate doctor’s appointments, I woke up feeling like the room was spinning and quickly discovered the left side of my face was completely paralyzed. After being rushed to the ER, I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy and was told that there was no reason to expect that I wouldn’t recover in a few weeks given that I was “young and relatively healthy.” 85-90% of people diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy recover completely within a year. Unfortunately for me, I became one of the 10-15%.

Over the course of a year, I did regain some movement, however, I developed synkinesis. As the nerve branches regenerated, the “wires got crossed” so that when I moved my mouth to eat, speak, or smile, my eye closed. When I tried to smile, my frown muscles were activated instead and the corner of my mouth was pulled down and in, rather than up. The muscles on the left side of my face continued to increase in muscle tone and eventually my cheek felt like a rock.

In the spring of 2014, I contacted Dr. Azizzadeh to find out what options I had for treating my facial paralysis and synkinesis. I began physical therapy to retrain my facial movements and then started getting Botox several months later. I made a lot of improvements with physical therapy and Botox; however, increasing the range of motion for my smile continues to allude me.



It is extremely frustrating to not have your facial expressions be able to match your emotions. Oftentimes people don’t recognize that there is something “wrong” with my face; however, they misinterpret my facial expressions when my cheek is tight and my “smile” is not much of a smile. It is always disheartening to take a picture with others and ultimately have someone point out that I need to “give a real smile,” “smile bigger,” “smile more,” etc. Even if I am over the moon happy, my face is unable to reflect that happiness.

As a speech-language pathologist, there is an added frustration as I try to show my students how they need to move their mouths to produce a sound correctly. Every student at some point starts trying to make their mouth crooked like mine. Then, I have to explain to them about how my mouth doesn’t work quite the right way and figure out other ways for them to understand what they should be doing with their mouths. It makes an already challenging job that much more challenging.

 

The Cost

In November 2016, I requested a quote for the surgery. I was devastated and in tears when I found out how much the surgery would cost. It was something I absolutely could not afford. At my most recent Botox appointment, I decided to talk with the doctor again about surgery. I began to get very excited thinking about all the benefits of having the surgery. Once again I was devastated when I discovered the cost of the surgery had doubled. In order to schedule the surgery I will need to put down a 25% deposit of roughly $11,000. The entire cost of the surgery $43,599 is due several weeks before the surgery.

The surgery fee covers the surgery, pre-op appointments, post-op appointments, medical center fees, and anesthesia. It does not include the cost for travel and staying in LA for 9-10 days or physical therapy to retrain the smile.

Unfortunately, insurance will not pay for the surgery. I have paid for physical therapy and Botox all out of pocket up to this point. I would love to be able to cover the cost of the surgery on my own, however, I simply cannot.

 

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey and to everyone who has encouraged me to ask for help. If you find it in you to donate, I will be forever grateful. Words cannot express how much your kindness and generosity means to me.