Hi. My name is Steve, and I'm raising money to provide potentially life-saving care for my amazing wife, Maura Beres.

Maura has had to fight through every day of her life since birth, when her brain was injured by forceps, resulting in cerebral palsy. The doctors told her parents that she might never walk and talk. She has spent her life proving everyone wrong. Through her fierce determination and work ethic, she became an equestrian champion by 6 years old, played high school sports, and went on to earn a master's degree in social work. Maura has changed so many lives that it's unusual for us to go out without some stranger (to me) running up to hug her and thank her for saving them from their own private demons.

Along the way, she has fallen victim to several autoimmune health issues that eventually rendered her disabled and forced her into early retirement on disability. Her immune system is slowly killing her pancreas, rendering her a diabetic on an insulin pump. Her body is also attacking the connective tissues in her joints, which is rheumatoid arthritis. She has other illnesses that cause her daily pain and impaired organ function, but I think I'm getting my point across.

Unfortunately, due to work-related injuries and my own health concerns, I was also forced into early retirement on disability. This appeal is not about me. The important part about both of us being disabled is that our combined income is just about enough to keep the lights on, a roof over our heads, and order a pizza when we're feeling spontaneous. And Maura has to rely on Medicare for health insurance. Medicare is slightly better than no coverage at all, but not much.

All of which brings me to the current issue that Maura needs your help with. She recently developed a huge infection in her jaw, which required IV antibiotics, etc. The doctors, including a dentist and an oral surgeon, told her that the medications used to treat her arthritis have caused severe damage to her teeth and gums. She has always been proud of her oral hygiene, and two years ago there was nothing wrong with her teeth. But the side effects of the medications (which are chemotherapy drugs) have turned her teeth into Swiss cheese. The doctors say that unless every tooth in her head is removed and replaced ASAP, she will continue to have increasingly frequent and severe infections that will lead to blindness and eventually death by sepsis. The cost of the work she needs to have done ranges from $35,000 to $90,000 here in the United States.

Our financial resources were already stretched to the breaking point. A few years ago, we went through a bankruptcy due to medical expenses that weren't covered by insurance. In our efforts to figure out how to keep her alive, Maura found out about medical tourism. Medical tourism is essentially the practice of traveling out of the U.S. to receive medical treatment from proven high-quality physicians at the going rates in their countries. She found out that we can get her the help she needs for $20,000. This is Maura's last, best chance, and it's where you can help her. Thank you.