Anything helps. Please read! ♥️

Hi, Friends! My name is MiKaila and I’m a 34-year-old mother of two beautiful girls!! I’m an artist and small business owner located out on the Eastern Plains. I have dedicated the past 7 years of my life to helping children with Autism. Back in April, 2024 I decided to step down from my job as a Behavioral Therapist to focus on raising our soon-to-be two year-old daughter. The first few months were stress free and everything was great! Then we started to struggle financially. Just this week, I got a part-time job at the gas station here in town, desperate for work.

I don’t ever ask people for money, and honestly, I’m really bad at it. I’ve been hesitant to start a GoFundMe because I feel like there are so many people out there more deserving of help. But, I’m in so much pain, I’m running out of time, and I have nobody to ask for help. I have applied for care credit along with multiple other financing options, and I’m being denied for everything. We’ve looked into taking out an equity loan, but we don’t have any equity.

I have an infection in multiple teeth that started with a molar breaking. I didn’t go straight to the dentist, because I’m absolutely terrified of the dentist! So, I left everything alone, hoping for the best. The inside of my tooth started to decay and rot very quickly, due to the size of the break. I continued to tolerate the pain, not knowing an infection was starting to form. I’ll be honest, I don’t go to the dentist. It has become a phobia for me.

I have ADHD and have been taking ADHD medication since 2nd grade, when I was diagnosed. What they don’t tell you about the side effects of ADHD medication (my constant dry-mouth, specifically) is that it causes your gums to recede, which will overtime lead to demineralization and decay.. I was just educated about this recently during a consultation with a dentist. All that being said, I don’t have the healthiest teeth and the idea of going to the dentist to have them taken care of is almost more terrifying than death. I’m at a point where going to the dentist is no longer an option though.

I was taken to the ER a few weeks ago after a syncopal episode due to severe pain from the initial infection and was given antibiotics. They said the infection was not yet in my blood, but I needed to act fast if I wanted it to stay that way. I was supposed to follow up with my dentist the next day, but couldn’t afford to have any work done.

It has been 3 weeks since I was in the hospital and my infection is back and quickly spreading. I can’t even describe the level of pain I am in and I’m at the end of my rope. So, here I am, asking for your help! Whatever that looks like for you - whether it’s donating $5-$10, saying a prayer for me, or sharing my story with the people you know - I am so grateful for you and your generosity!

I’ve always thought it was really tacky for people to start their own GoFundMe fundraisers. And maybe creating my own GoFundMe was just that. I don’t have time for someone else to tell my story.

I’m looking at $15,000 to have my teeth fixed doing the bare minimum. I originally started this fundraiser asking for that total, and I’m feeling like maybe I was asking for too much? So now I’m asking for help with half.

Thank you for your generosity, time, and your prayers. God has gotten me this far. I know and trust that He will get me to where I need to be.

God bless you! Thank you so much for your time!