Give a Smile

I'll get to the point right off, before I expand on it: This fundraiser is for me to afford to get a denture plate and two teeth that are in horrible condition removed. I am doing this mostly for my son, who deserves to having a mother with a job and no physical deformity that may shame him.   That is me, without smiling. I don't smile anymore because I'm horrified by my mouth. I used to smile all the time. This is what I look like when I smile. I never want to smile. I want to cry just having posted this publicly.   Why I need help: I was a stay-at-home Mom when I was together with my husband, who took on the role of money-maker. I didn't have to work during that time, and so I didn't. I just raised my son, Jaidyn. Over the four years that I was doing that, my teeth started to slowly decay (due in large part to the sodas I drink like they're going out of style, and partly due to a genetic issue I inherited that makes my teeth more susceptible to decay and damage.) My Husband didn't make a whole lot of money because he was working as a roofer. So I couldn't afford more expensive dental treatments that might've saved my teeth or made them look undamaged. My state (TN) does not give dental insurance to adults under Medicaid, so we were stuck footing the dental bills. This caused me to have to go with the cheapest route to deal with my chronic dental pain and decay- extractions. I only had teeth pulled when they caused me so much pain I couldn't bear it, and slowly over four years I was whittled down to what you see in the above picture. I have two front teeth that are decayed heavily, and a few teeth that aren't great in the very back of my mouth. I don't currently experience a lot of pain from my two front teeth, so they're staying at the moment. I dread having to get them removed when they start acting up, as I know they will. This year would have been my five year anniversary with my husband, but he left me and his son last year because he's one of those people who refuse to grow up. That's not me downing him, he literally would rather party all the time and live with his friends than see his son or help his wife. (He refuses to give me a divorce even though he's already with another woman.) He does not pay the child support the court ordered him to pay, and so far they haven't taken him in for default yet. I have no savings, no job, am living with my parents to make ends meet and am barely scraping by.  I have applied at every establishment in my area and have had a few interviews, all of which amount to nothing due to my appearance. Getting a job with a mouth like mine is nearly impossible, which makes it desperately difficult to care for my child financially, let alone myself. I'm also so concerned that as Jaidyn gets older (He's turning 3, August 26th, 2014) he's going to get friends who will point out my mouth, joke about it and make Jaidyn upset and/or ashamed of his Mom. I am terrified and shattered by the thought that my son, my whole entire world, will be ashamed of me. Jaidyn deserves a Mom with no deformity, one who has a stable job and is able to support him, one he can be proud of. So, this fundraiser is for my son. For our lives. My goal is to raise $700 and get a denture plate and my two front teeth extracted. This will allow me to get employment and ensure my son's happiness. It will make me regain my confidence and love of life. It will give me back my smile.   Any donation is a step towards my dream of building my life with my son. Whether it's $1, $5, $20 or more, I thank you with every single ounce of my being. It means everything to me that there are people out there that would care to help a stranger start a good life for her baby boy. Thank you.