My Clara's Story

This story is about my Clara that has been battling a jaw and dental nightmare for almost seven years. She has had the burden of all the expenses which include all past, present, and future and still has outstanding balances. In the future, she will require teeth and more jaw surgeries by a specialist that are not covered by insurance. Since 2016 she has been suffering from terrible pain caused by jaw dislocation and teeth pain. Besides being unable to chew solid foods, her food has to be the consistency of canned dog food. We have gone through countless blenders, meat grinders, and ninja bullets. She needs a Vitamix blender, that makes hot fresh soups and frozen protein shakes all day, they cost around $5000.00 to $7000.00 however she can't afford one and this would make her eating easier. Her daily eating consists of liquids that are always added with protein powders, shakes, protein waters, and protein soup mixes. Anything we can do to promote healthy eating and keep her weight maintained at a healthy level? At one point her weight declined to 81lbs and there was talk of inserting a feeding tube if things didn't improve. She is 5 feet 3 inches tall.

Then we have the heating pads and ice packs that are used nightly so she can sleep as comfortably as possible. She never gets a full night's rest because of the discomfort and unbearable pain. Unfortunately, she must take pain medication also. No matter what she does the pain never goes away. The pain medication causes distress in her digestive issues which are already compromised. Her jaw, teeth, and ears hurt constantly and she always has a headache. At night I hear her crying in pain because she can't get the pain to stop. Clara experiences pain when yawning, sneezing, coughing, and excessive talking during the day make the nights worse.

She can no longer do activities that she once loved because of the pressure of the jaw and teeth. Gardening, yoga, or any kind of activity that requires bending her upper body over or turning quickly.

Clara used to be a social butterfly and a foodie. Everything revolved around food. Theme nights, garden luncheons, barbeques, and even based food meals around movies. She loves cooking everything about it from recipes to cooking shows and the overall cooking experience. She can't take part in these things anymore and tries to ignore social gatherings because she can not take part in them. She says that when she goes to gatherings she makes her friends and family sad because she can't take part in the eating and it hurts their feelings for her.

She will not attend ballgames or concerts because of the eating issues and none of those venues have food that is acceptable for her. She worries about her jaw locking while she is away and there wouldn't be anyone to put her jaw back into place. This has become an issue because it's made her have PTSD.

Clara has tried everything to correct her issues. She has had to spend thousands and thousands of dollars of dental work including traditional braces, AGG devices, buildups, and not to mention the countless hours going back and forth to the dentist trying to find an answer. All of this and the insurance still doesn't cover any of it. She has had four painful surgeries to help her ongoing problems. This has lasted for 5 years without an answer that could take any pain or discomfort away.

Finally, Clara has been sent to a myofascial surgeon that specializes in TMJ and abnormal conditions of complicated mouth issues. She just saw him in August of 2022 and I believe the surgeon can help with her pain and make her life a bit better. Although he has already said it will not change her chewing ability in any way. Clara has had two surgeries already. One was at Christmas in 2022 and Clara missed Christmas of last year. She is going to have to continue these surgeries every 3 months for the rest of her life. Her surgeon is also suggesting some other surgeries that may help alleviate some more of her pain and give her relief which she so desperately needs and deserves. Clara is always stressed about the financial aspect and the initial pain of the surgery. She thinks very highly of her surgeon and in the last 5 years that this has been happening she has lost her faith that someone could help her. However, Clara has no dental insurance coverage at all. She has been paying out of her own pocket and can no longer afford this as her funds are depleted.

Clara has high functional cerebral palsy but it has never held her back from anything that she has wanted to achieve. Her life has always been really full and very successful. The jaw and teeth issues have nothing to do with her cerebral palsy.

Clara has always been the funniest, creative, quick-witted, and has always enjoyed life. Clara is a loving, caring, trusting, honest, hardworking and all-around wonderful human. She has always had pride in being independent and has tried to take care of her health issues on her own. However, the problem is too big for her and she is needing help because, to be honest, I don't know how much her future care will cost. I have helped her considerably with the financial aspect but it's too much for us to handle on our own.

As for me being her mother, I have trouble even believing this has happened to her. Her sadness can be overwhelming for me. It is an indescribable feeling. Clara is not only my best daughter but my best friend. She would do anything for anyone. Anyone that knows us knows that we are always together. Since she has had these issues, I feel like I have to be a protector of her feelings and her health and try to help her through everything. There isn't a guide for this kind of love but I know Clara would do anything for me. God sent her to me as a precious gift so now I must try to help ease her emotionally, physically, and all over pain. Even in her condition still worries about everything and everyone around her. She is always saying she wants me to be he friend and her mother, not her caretaker. She sees herself as a burden now to me, which she is not. She is headstrong and is suffering more than she would let anyone know.

Clara has a lot of faith and believes there will be a miracle, but lately, she has to be reminded as she tells me she fears she's losing and being forgotten. As her mother and a human being, I believe in the good and the faithful, and the love of others to help her.

Please show Clara that she hasn't been forgotten. If you ever are lucky enough to meet Clara, you will understand that your donation has gone to an unforgettable human being.

Thank you and I am so very grateful for everything.