Hi, my name is Patricia Cooney. I’m 38 years old and have 5 kids.

A little backstory of why I’m asking for help. Growing up, my parents tried their best, but we were raised to fend for ourselves, I would say. We never went to the dentist or doctor. I met my kids' dad when I was 15. At the age of 17, both my parents had passed away, and I was raising my brothers along with my newborn daughter. Over the next 20 years, we moved multiple times, and I had more kids. Much like my parents, I didn’t have access to dental care or only partial dental care, meaning a root canal but no crown on more than one tooth.

I know part of this is my fault for not leaving sooner, but that’s another story. I finally left after 20 years and now am on my own and thriving, except for my mouth. My mouth is in a constant state of pain and infection. I haven’t smiled in years due to a dead tooth in front from having a root canal but not being allowed to get the crown. I started working with a dentist in Mountain Home at the Dental Center. Dr. Christensen and his team have been nothing but great to me. I had 4 teeth pulled yesterday and a bone graft to hopefully put a permanent tooth in later.

As you can imagine, being a single mom, this isn’t an easy thing to do. I don’t have insurance, and my kids have been helping me pay for all of this. I’m afraid if I can’t raise some money, I won’t be able to continue treatment. I’m so desperate to smile again. Please help and share if you can. Thank you for your time and reading my message.