Please Help Keep Mark's Voice And Music Alive!

Hello, my name is Mark Kratz. For those of you who don’t know me, I am a classical vocal musician, college adjunct professor of voice, a choir director, and a voice teacher living in the north bay of the San Francisco area. Singing and bringing the joy of singing to others are the greatest joys in my life.

For those of you who do know me, you are probably aware that I was morbidly obese in high school, weighing nearly 600lbs. As you know, I was able to lose over half that weight. Unfortunately, my addictive food behavior was not the end of the story.

I suffer from substance addiction. I am not afraid to share that, and I feel no guilt in making it known. It is a horrible illness that destroys all states of being: mind, body, and soul. It’s effects are not only detrimental to the addict, but to those around them; usually those they love the most. I am so grateful to have Mikel, my partner, who has stuck by me through rehab, Anonymous meetings, relapses, and recoveries. This is an illness that carries with it social stigmas, and many times, forces the addict to hide their problems and slowly the addiction eats away at everything that person was or could have been.

While on the path to recovery, there are several areas of my life that I have been trying to improve. One of those areas is my oral health. My substance addiction wreaked havoc on my mouth. Broken teeth, damaged gums, jaw bone loss, and the list goes on.

On October 18, 2021, I underwent an oral evaluation. The diagnosis: All of my upper teeth must be removed. In my lower jaw, I am able to keep five original teeth, but all the rest must be removed.

I obviously broke down in the doctor’s office. My immediate thoughts were, “How will I be able to sing?” “What will I do without singing in my life?” “How will I stay in recovery?”

Just get dentures, right? Well, singing isn’t so easy when you got those puppies glued into your mouth! So, I was presented with 2 options that will allow me to keep singing:

Option #1: Implant secured top dentures and individual implants for the bottom with a good amount of bone graphing in both the top and bottom jaw.

Cost with insurance: $30,000.00

Option #2: Implant secured top dentures, a bottom partial, which I can remove when I sing, and individual implants for the teeth that are visible on the bottom jaw while singing.

Cost with insurance: $20,000.00

Neither seemed realistic to me financially, so of course, I chose option #2. This option comes with a down payment of $11,200.

Like many of you, I don’t have $11,200 laying around plus another $9,000 for which to find financing.

I have been blessed to receive grants from MusiCares, The Musicians Foundation, and Sweet Relief totaling $6,500. With Money I have been saving for this very reason, I currently have $10,500 of the $11,200 down payment.

I have had to push back the start date of treatment two times thus far, because I did not have the monetary ability to begin the procedures.

If my singing or I have ever had a positive effect on your life, I hope that you will consider supporting me. If singing were to be ripped from my life, the outcome would be debilitating.

If you are unable to help me financially, maybe you might know of a dentist who would work with me for a reduced rate or pro bono? Or perhaps you might be willing to share this page with people you know that might be interested in funding me.

If you suffer from addiction, and are silently battling it alone, please reach out to me. We are not alone, and only with help from others, will we find the path to recovery.

Thank you for taking the time to consider funding me, and I ask that you look at those who suffer from addiction in a different light than you might do so currently.