Almost There! A Smile for Mikia
Donation protected
Hello everyone! To those that know me and my long journey you know why I titled this Finally almost there! Finally after 22 years of fighting, my surgery was APPROVED! The cost of everything I required is so great it is upwards of $300.000. I am a stay at home mom and my husband already works 2 jobs. So coming up with extra money is difficult. For those that have not followed my journey please let me take a moment to share my story. I am 45 years old and a mother of 8 beautiful daughters and two sons.
My husband and I have been together for 27 years and married for 19 years. 
I had three grandchildren, one of my granddaughters passed away last year. My oldest daughter had two strokes and I am now her guardian. My son was diagnosed with autism and has a lot of therapy so I'm not working right now. I was born with craniofacial abnormalities, severe micrognathia, severe mandibular hypoplasia, and severe maxillary hypoplasia. I had a severe class 2 malocclusion. This condition causes the jaws and teeth to be misaligned and I had a very severe case. No surgeon had seen anyone like me and none wanted to take on such a complex case. It caused a variety of problems such as issues with eating, problems with speech articulation, breathing problems, severe gum damage, and caused me to have very low self-esteem. It caused severe crowding of my bottom teeth. My overjet was so extreme when I close my mouth my whole lower jaw could fit into my top jaw. Normal overjet is 2 mm mine was 21 mm!!! It caused major damage to my soft palate and it damaged all of my gum tissue. I have TMJ issues and I could barley open my mouth. I was in constant pain, had severe headaches, and I took muscle relaxers and other meds to control the daily pain I was experiencing. My mother had me in various programs when I was young, but back then, technology just wasn't what it is today. As a child, I was teased so much that I started covering my mouth and holding my head down. I refused to smile in any pictures. Through the years, I have fought with different insurance companies to get the help I needed. I have paid thousands of dollars traveling and consulting with orthodontists, periodontists, and maxillofacial surgeons. My case was difficult. My treatment plan required four surgeries which ended up being five surgeries. In the first surgery, May 31, 2018, six teeth were pulled, my bottom jaw was broken, and an expander was put in my lower jaw. I had braces on my top teeth to align my teeth and bite. They had me turn a key everyday to push the bones apart. in a normal case this works but it did not work for me. I had my second surgery on September 26, 2018. The bone was broken again; my orthodontist put an expander in. After I healed for 6 months braces were put on the bottom teeth and then I was supposed to have double jaw surgery to correct all of my issues. Unfortunately, the jaw still did not expand enough. I had my 3rd surgery on July 6 2020. I also had two gum graft surgeries which were not covered thru insurance. They broke my jaw into two halves and put me in a splint for nine weeks. I was on a liquid diet for all these surgeries. This surgery really helped to expand and widen my jaw. In my 4th surgery, January 13 2021, I was supposed to have double jaw surgery and genioplasty reconstruction of the chin. After nine long hours, my surgeons prepared to move from my bottom jaw to fix my top jaw and then it happened my jaw broke on the left side, and they had to stop surgery and wire me shut. I was wired shut for almost nine weeks. It was the most miserable time ever. It took almost a year to heal.
My face healed lopsided and crooked. 
As we prepared for surgery Insurance, hit me with denial after denial. My surgeon stayed the course appealing everything, and finally, I won my appeal and had my genioplasty and screw removal, they also shaved down the bones on both sides of my face and did an upper gum graft. I had my implant rods inserted on April 22, 2022. I will have stage two done on August 15, 2022, to open my gums and expose the rods so the crowns can be made. Due to an office miscommunication about pricing, I can not afford the rest of the procedure. I have already taken out loans for my other procedures. I am asking if everyone could just donate a dollar. Between my Tiktok followers and my jaw support group I have over 18 thousand friends. I know times are hard and if you can not donate I understand but please share this. Much love Mikia #asmile4kia #jawsurgerygirl
My husband and I have been together for 27 years and married for 19 years. I had three grandchildren, one of my granddaughters passed away last year. My oldest daughter had two strokes and I am now her guardian. My son was diagnosed with autism and has a lot of therapy so I'm not working right now. I was born with craniofacial abnormalities, severe micrognathia, severe mandibular hypoplasia, and severe maxillary hypoplasia. I had a severe class 2 malocclusion. This condition causes the jaws and teeth to be misaligned and I had a very severe case. No surgeon had seen anyone like me and none wanted to take on such a complex case. It caused a variety of problems such as issues with eating, problems with speech articulation, breathing problems, severe gum damage, and caused me to have very low self-esteem. It caused severe crowding of my bottom teeth. My overjet was so extreme when I close my mouth my whole lower jaw could fit into my top jaw. Normal overjet is 2 mm mine was 21 mm!!! It caused major damage to my soft palate and it damaged all of my gum tissue. I have TMJ issues and I could barley open my mouth. I was in constant pain, had severe headaches, and I took muscle relaxers and other meds to control the daily pain I was experiencing. My mother had me in various programs when I was young, but back then, technology just wasn't what it is today. As a child, I was teased so much that I started covering my mouth and holding my head down. I refused to smile in any pictures. Through the years, I have fought with different insurance companies to get the help I needed. I have paid thousands of dollars traveling and consulting with orthodontists, periodontists, and maxillofacial surgeons. My case was difficult. My treatment plan required four surgeries which ended up being five surgeries. In the first surgery, May 31, 2018, six teeth were pulled, my bottom jaw was broken, and an expander was put in my lower jaw. I had braces on my top teeth to align my teeth and bite. They had me turn a key everyday to push the bones apart. in a normal case this works but it did not work for me. I had my second surgery on September 26, 2018. The bone was broken again; my orthodontist put an expander in. After I healed for 6 months braces were put on the bottom teeth and then I was supposed to have double jaw surgery to correct all of my issues. Unfortunately, the jaw still did not expand enough. I had my 3rd surgery on July 6 2020. I also had two gum graft surgeries which were not covered thru insurance. They broke my jaw into two halves and put me in a splint for nine weeks. I was on a liquid diet for all these surgeries. This surgery really helped to expand and widen my jaw. In my 4th surgery, January 13 2021, I was supposed to have double jaw surgery and genioplasty reconstruction of the chin. After nine long hours, my surgeons prepared to move from my bottom jaw to fix my top jaw and then it happened my jaw broke on the left side, and they had to stop surgery and wire me shut. I was wired shut for almost nine weeks. It was the most miserable time ever. It took almost a year to heal. My face healed lopsided and crooked. As we prepared for surgery Insurance, hit me with denial after denial. My surgeon stayed the course appealing everything, and finally, I won my appeal and had my genioplasty and screw removal, they also shaved down the bones on both sides of my face and did an upper gum graft. I had my implant rods inserted on April 22, 2022. I will have stage two done on August 15, 2022, to open my gums and expose the rods so the crowns can be made. Due to an office miscommunication about pricing, I can not afford the rest of the procedure. I have already taken out loans for my other procedures. I am asking if everyone could just donate a dollar. Between my Tiktok followers and my jaw support group I have over 18 thousand friends. I know times are hard and if you can not donate I understand but please share this. Much love Mikia #asmile4kia #jawsurgerygirl
Organizer
Mikia Haywood
Organizer
Taylor, MI