Smiles for Eric

Hi! I'm Kate, and that handsome guy in the photo is my partner of 4.5 years, Eric. Now this man is the love of my life, so obviously, I'm biased. However, one of the things that makes me love him more every day is getting to know his friends and family--anyone who knows him at all loves him and knows what a great person he is! It doesn't matter what friends he's hanging out with. City to country, gaming to guitars, every group he's in knows what a terrific, caring person he is. He takes care of everyone, he's the guy who's always there for anyone, without question, without hesitation.

He's warm, confident, and comfortable in his own skin, except for one thing: his teeth.

Due to various circumstances (including weak enamel, untreated orthodontic needs and a couple of broken teeth that weren't adequately fixed) over many years, Eric's self-consciousness about his teeth has been holding him back. They're pretty rough. It has never dimmed his spirit, but it sure has taken a toll on his smile.

He rarely genuinely smiles and never in public. He has the power to make everyone else around him smile, but never smiles himself. How messed up is that? But with your help, that's all about to change.

See, we've been to several dentists for several consultations. One dentist even told him he'd have to get ALL of his teeth removed and get 4-on-1 implants, to the tune of almost $50k!! (We noped right on out of there.) We finally found the excellent Dr. C at Celestial Dental in Henrietta, NY, who has been working diligently with Eric to get his mouth at least to a good, healthy point where we can talk seriously about the next steps. Dr. C's original assessment was that he was going to be able to save maybe a couple of teeth, but Eric would be looking at dentures of some kind, maybe less extensive implants. And even with dental insurance, it was going to be way, way beyond our means. Eric kept up with Dr. C's instructions and treatment plan though, even knowing that he probably would never be able to afford the smile he's been wishing for. At least his gums would be healthy, right? Well, two days ago, we got some news that suddenly made the impossible possible, and put Eric's dreams of a bright, wide, toothy smile within reach. At his latest exam, Dr. C was thrilled to find that Eric's dedication was paying off by the bucketful! Eric's teeth, broken and not, could be SAVED! All but one! Which meant that the huge, impossibly expensive treatment plan that we were looking at could be cut down to a fraction of the original cost! Dr. C is certain that he can repair Eric's teeth without having to replace them all, except for one, which will be a single implant, and all in one day. It's a miracle of modern dentistry, I tell ya.

The kicker is (there's always something, isn't there?) that we still need some help getting the funding together to make this happen. We are asking for $6,000 to cover the initial tooth fixing, which includes crowns and bonding, some light anesthesia, pain medication, etc. Because of insurance fol-de-rol, if Eric can get that initial work done before the end of this month, this first big step will cost less, and anything leftover will go towards his single tooth implant. If there are any funds beyond that, they will go to the next step of the plan--orthodontics. (But that's not nearly as big of a concern.)

If you've read this far, I want to thank you for sticking with me through Eric's story. If you are one of Eric's friends or a member of his family, you don't need me to tell you how amazing he is and how much he deserves to have a smile that he is proud and eager to show off. If you don't know Eric, he's the good guy who is always giving something of himself, and it's time that the Universe gives him something back. (You know that person.)

Please, contribute what you can. Even if you can't contribute, share with as many people as possible--we never know what other good people are out there who can help.

With an abundance of love and gratitude,

Kate & Eric