Asking for help is hard. Right now our dear Karen needs our help to get critical dental care ASAP. Thank you for pitching in to help her heal so she can step fully into the huge transition of moving back home to upstate New York. Thank you, every bit counts a lot!

-Brett Holmquist (music and nature connection brother)

Here's a note from Karen...

A few months ago, I made the tough decision to move back to upstate New York to be closer to family. I've been in Whitefish, MT for 7 years and although I have a lot of friends here, a good job, love teaching and playing music in this town, I have been missing spending time with my family.

I got a job teaching summer camp at a Nature school in upstate New York, with the hope that it will form good connections to find a place to teach in the Fall. I've been super busy packing and sorting and doing everything needed to move.

I went into the dentist for what I thought was minor tooth pain and got some seriously bad news. My gums and teeth have a terrible infection that is spreading fast.

Likely Treatment Plan:

5+ Root canals and crowns/or extractions and implants plus other teeth maintenance.

We are not even sure root canals are the best option, all of the teeth on the lower left side might need to be taken out. The infection was hidden underneath and we were not aware that it had spread as far as it did until the x-rays showed it.

"When it rains, it pours!"

Genetically, my family has a history of bad teeth. My relatives and I have tried everything we can to try to stay on top of our dental health, but our teeth are still terrible. Dental insurance doesn't begin to cover the cost of a healthy mouth, and even with regular checkups and trying to stay on top of dental care my mouth is a mess.

I have been researching dental clinics in Montana and New York, and have been quoted treatment plans that are $10,000 or more with long wait times that don't match the immediacy of my situation. Because this dental emergency is happening at the same time as the crunch to move across the country, I have decided to visit Los Algodones in Mexico, otherwise known as "Molar City." They have over 900 dentists there, and it is the most affordable and efficient option, because they can schedule appointments within a quick time frame.

Even with airfare, transportation and hotel costs, it is still comparable to waiting for a dentist appointment in Montana or New York, who are booked up months in advance.

It is super hard to be vulnerable and put my dental emergency on social media! I have already relied upon my family for support, and they have stepped up, but this goes beyond anything they can help fund.

I want to take care of my dental health so I can continue teaching kids and playing music! My hope is that once my teeth are healed, my energy levels will come back, since my body won't be working so hard to fight the infection.

Thank you all so much, I can't put into words how much your support means to me!

Love,

Karen