Smile for Aurora :)

Co-organized

Pedro Rivera and Rosana Rivera are organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Lets help Help Pedro Rivera reach his goal of $3500 by donating to help save Aurora's smile. Here is her story.

Hello,

My name is Aurora Samuels, and this is my story.

I'm 41 years old, married to my high school sweetheart, Dennis Samuels and we have two beautiful children, Dasia 24 and Dennis 19.

In August 2011, after a years worth of lab work and doctors appointments, I was diagnosed with lupus, Sjogrens syndrome and Raynauds syndrome.

Living with an autoimmune disease has been life altering and difficult for. My life completely changed along with my eating habits and daily routines. If i do too much it can take a-lot out of me physically and if i'm idle for too long, i get very stiff and suffer pain. Finding a happy medium is key. I suffer from joint pains that are debilitating and that sometimes lock up for hours until i settle back down. With the help of my doctors, i'm now in treatment which has its ups and downs .

A major struggle i have, is my smile. As the years went by, i noticed my teeth were starting to deteriorate. I went to the dentist twice a year for regular care which worried me as to why was this happening to my teeth? Sjogrens and the medication i'm currently on is affecting my oral hygiene. Along with the struggles of lupus and pains, i could now , possibly lose my teeth?

The dentist suggested treatment and put a plan together to save my smile . My insurance didn't cover the roughly $10,000 bill it would take for the procedures. They kindly informed me that health insurance does not cover my dental care even if it relates to my health issues.

There was a year long pause due to covid so i had to wait it out and put my smile aside. When elective procedures opened back up, i prospected a second opinion and found a new dentist. She put together a treatment plan that was almost identical to my previous one and after insurance, my out of pocket will be $3500. I finally found a dentist who could save my smile but how was i going to afford it? With both of our children in college, life can be difficult.

Thank God for my family who has been extremely helpful and supportive to me along with patience as my health affected everyone in my household and around me.

Share a smile with someone and help brighten their day as smiles are healthy and contagious.

Thanks again for listening to my story,

Aurora Samuels.