Retainers for Liam

Dear: Family and Friends,

We don't normally ask for help but this has been an extremely difficult year for us (as I know it has been for everyone). We have been profoundly affected by COVID.  We have always lived check to check and were just scraping by but now we are in dire need of your assistance as we have exhausted all other resources we are able to access.

Liam was diagnosed with ADHD Inattentive 2 years ago. He was assessed because he was having difficulty paying attention in school. He was put on medication, and while there was noticeable improvement, he was still having difficulty. He never smiled in photos, seemed tired, couldn't seem to keep weight on, was anxious in social situations and seemed to be getting depressed.

So, last year, he was assessed by another psychologist. The psychologist suspected that his difficulty with attention may be due, at least in part, to issues with his sleep. She explained that children with sleep issues often show the same symptoms as children with ADHD.

We chose to investigate further and were referred to a speech pathologist/oral-facial myologist. She determined that there was narrowing across Liam's hard palette and that he was not able to fully close his jaws which she believed may be affecting his sleep by causing inflammation  due to negative pressure in the back of his throat, speech difficulties, and his ability to eat certain foods. From there we were referred to an orthodontist where his need for both upper and lower retainers was determined. The above image is the imaging done at the orthodontist. His jaw is fully closed and the lack of occlusion can be seen.

Liam needs these retainers for his health and wellbeing. This is not a cosmetic fix, but we are unable to cover the $4000 with our limited resources and none of our insurance providers will provide coverage. We cannot proceed with treatment until funding is in place. I know this is a lot to ask during this difficult period of time but if there is anything you are able to donate, we would be extremely grateful. We understand if you’re not able to donate though and if you still want to help, a Social media share can do wonders. Thank you, Annaliese Bos