For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Victor. Here’s the part where I tell my story…hopefully for the last time:

In 2003-2004 I was bashed across the face with a rock the size of a softball in my hometown of Laredo Texas. The attack came after some people were upset that we passed them in traffic. This led to two forms of retaliation. The first was a car chase, where we thought we had finally lost them in a neighborhood but were wrong. The second form of retaliation came when they spotted us parked at a school talking to friends. During a moment where I was alone waiting by the car, I was attacked by these people. I was a victim of circumstance, and the assailants were never caught.

The damage was quite extensive. I had about 6-7 teeth completely broken, while others were partially broken and damaged both in appearance and below the gumline. To this day, I still have teeth remnants inside my lower lip that also require surgery. The swelling alone lasted 2 months. I spent two whole months without being able to close my mouth. Sleeping was uncomfortable, and eating was impossible. For two months I resorted to only milkshakes or smoothies for every meal of the day that weren’t even drunk. I had to have them poured down my throat because I could not close my mouth enough to wrap my lips around the lips of a bottle, let alone a straw. The timing also couldn’t have been worse. I had just started college as a Voice Performance Major who, at this point, didn’t know if he would be able to speak without issues, let alone sing again.

Once the swelling subsided, it was time to start repairing the damage. I didn’t have health insurance at the time and immediately learned that it was going to be extremely costly. After my first surgery, I learned how extensive the damage truly was. For starters, after my first surgery, I was told I would have to wait 3 years before the doctors would do any more work on my mouth. This left me with numerous gaps in my teeth, as well as some partially damaged and very fragile teeth.

Next came rehab. I basically had to learn how to speak all over again. Tongue placement, consonants, enunciation, everything had to be relearned. Speaking eventually got easier, but there was constant pain, swelling, and bleeding. All these things were worse after singing. I’ve had a few surgeries since the first one. I’ve had to break them up into small procedures because I was still paying out of pocket. I cannot afford to have small procedures anymore. I am at a point where I need to take care of this now because I live in constant fear of breaks and shifts. Every morning I wake up to a bloody pillow, a sore mouth, sensitivity, and shifting teeth.

On top of physical discomfort, I deal with feelings of insecurity and embarrassment daily. I hate photos, I can’t laugh without covering my mouth, and I feel very self-conscious when eating with others because of how differently I have to eat, weird noises I’m afraid I’m going to make, and the constant worry of having something break. I wish I could say that these feelings and worries are just irrational fears, but I have had a tooth completely break while dining out with friends. It was a very embarrassing and painful experience.

I would love to wake up and not have bled through the night. I would love to be able to speak, laugh, and sing without having pain and swelling. I would love to perform again and go back for Grad School. I would love to be able to sing again without all of the after effects. Most importantly, I would love to not live in constant fear and worry about what might happen to my teeth.

I am not one to ask for help, but I have exhausted most of my resources and have a great opportunity to get my teeth fixed at a reasonable price. I am hoping that with your help I can raise 13k dollars. If you feel compelled to help and donate, I appreciate it more than I can express. If you are not able to donate, I completely understand and want to thank you for taking the time to read this but would appreciate it if you would spread the word and share my campaign with people you know.

Thank you!