Brighten Cory's Future with a New Smile

Meet my brother Cory! He’s a 39-year-old single father to two incredible little boys, Carter, 6, and Wesley, almost 5. He lives in New Hampshire and works full time as a roofer. After battling addiction for nearly two decades, Cory has been in long-term recovery for 4.5 years. He also serves as the assistant manager of the recovery house he lives in with his two boys.

I began writing this with Cory’s permission but planned to write his story for him… then I thought he may want to share himself.

Hear from Cory below:

“I was incarcerated on February 12, 2020. My clean and sober date is February 13, 2020. When I was incarcerated my addict mentality wanted me to get out as soon as possible. I was confronted by family members saying that I was exactly where I needed to be and that they could sleep easier knowing I wasn’t out on the streets using. After two or three weeks, I started attending NA meetings and bible studies. Within a few weeks, the jail had stopped all outsiders from coming in and the courts shut down due to Covid 19. During the shut down is when I feared the worst for myself and my children not knowing what this virus would bring. That is when I surrendered myself to God’s will. Three days before Father’s Day, the courts reopened with Zoom sessions and I was granted a reduced bail to which my mother had agreed to pay with the understanding that I was going to be completely on my own afterwards, homeless, penniless, with nothing but the clothes I came in with. Knowing how determined I was to straighten my life out, I agreed. Within two days of being released I was able to secure a job working full time. With my first check, I bought a tent and set up camp near work. After work, I would walk 3.5 miles to visit my children then walk back to my tent. I continued this for three months until I met a recovery coach from Navigating Recovery. She gave me information on Recovery homes in my area and on September 2 I moved into Leave a Light On Recovery Homes and have been there ever since. I attended meetings and church regularly. Within six months, with the help of my recovery coach, I was able to get my license back. Three months later, I purchased a vehicle and was granted visitations with my kids. A few months later, I was awarded joint custody. After a lot of hard work and dedication, I was granted full custody of both my children roughly two years ago.”

Cory’s made their safety and future his primary goals and based on our recent visit to them in NH, I’d say he’s done a darn good job of raising two beautiful little souls.

Here’s where we come in! Cory’s biggest barrier to moving forward with his life now is his teeth. After years of addiction and not making self-care a priority, Cory is in need of complete and total extraction of all teeth, grafting of his gums and a full set of dentures. He’s received a quote for $18,500. The extractions are $15,000 and dentures $3,500. With his current income and expenses this is not a possibility. Even with financing, he’d be paying $1000 a month for 18 months. He’s currently paying for daycare, rent, truck payment, insurance, gas, groceries and other basic expenses for him and the boys on one income. We are hoping and praying that, as a community, we can lighten this load for him. We’d love to raise the whole amount and bless him in this way but even if we were able to decrease the amount of the monthly payment, he could and would make it work. We know God will make a way. If you know my brother, you’d know he would NEVER ask for help which is why I’m asking for him. I believe this would change his confidence level and allow him to put the shame of his past behind him for good. He’d no longer have to look in the mirror and be reminded of the trauma of addiction. They say a smile can change the world. Would you consider helping me change Cory’s world?