Corrective Jaw Surgery

Hello,


My name is Bethany and first of all I’d like to thank you for taking an interest in my campaign and giving me the time to tell you about one of the biggest impacts in my life and my dream to change it.


This campaign is to raise money for my much needed Orthognathic Surgery, also known as Corrective Jaw surgery, braces, and to have my impacted wisdom teeth surgically removed (Which must be done before I can get braces or have the jaw surgery)


All up, this is estimated to cost approximately $20,000. Close to half my yearly salary while working full time. While I also have private health insurance, the reality is that they only cover a small amount of the costs.


Now this is the important bit - Why does getting these done mean so much to me? Yes, it would be nice to have good teeth and a well aligned jaw, but it is a lot more than that to me - this has very much impacted my life through bullying, isolation and my overall happiness and self-esteem, even affecting my speech.


While growing up, I was bullied on a daily basis, being called ugly and being told that no one likes me. I won't give you my life story, just as you could understand growing up with this was quite traumatic for me, especially since no one would be your friend because you're the "ugly one" all through primary school.


High school was better, I made a couple of friendships. This is when it became apparent that I also have a few speech issues. I cannot clearly pronounce words and my insecurity of this meant that I would always avoid talking, even now. This is likely caused by my jaw as it is not properly aligned. Since I try to keep quiet, I still find it hard to make friends and I’m often looked down on as being "stupid” since I can't talk as clearly as everyone else.


Shortly after high school, I gained my current fulltime position as a support worker, as I love to help others. With my new found income I finally had my consultation and x-rays with an Orthodontist, this is where I learned about the extent of my dental problems. I always knew I had crooked teeth and an overbite, but I never knew how bad of an issue it actually way.


I was informed that surgery is the best option for me but this also brought me some relief. I was told it would fix my much disliked facial structure. I also have a button chin, a chin which points out. It’s a very much disliked family trait, and was also a blessing as it hid my under bite. I’ve now learned that as well as fixing my jaw, and having a better jaw alignment, I can have a "normal" looking chin, so the end result may be the face kids may not have called ugly back in school. A face more people may want to be friends with, or even a face that may grab a nice man’s attention. The face that means the world to me.


I've never been the type to ask for help, but I hope you can all see how much having this surgery means to me. To have normal teeth which don’t stick out, a face which I don't feel like should be hidden behind a paper bag and to feel more accepted by people.


Thank you all so much for reading.