Give Angus a Smile

Update: We began this fundraiser with the belief that Angus would have to make two trips to Mexico to complete all of his dental work. Ang ended up journeying south four times! Also, inflation means that costs were simply (much) higher than we expected!

We are grateful to everyone who has donated thus far, and to those of you thinking about making your first donation. As I originally wrote (which you can see below) Angus is one of the touchstones of the California Pagan Community and it is always a pleasure to see him smile!

Long before I moved to California I somehow knew Angus McMahan. After visiting a festival in San Jose he began showing up on my social media, and within a few days this person that I swear I didn't know became one of my favorite people in the world.

A couple of years later my wife and I moved to California and were attending a convention together when I had to step out for a bit at a party. Ari (my wife for those of you who don't know me) was panicked at the thought of being alone in a new place with a bunch of strangers but quickly let out a sigh of relief when she saw a familiar face across the room . . . . Angus!! Not that they had ever met outside of Facebook mind you, but if you've ever met Angus or had an interaction with him online you completely understand. Not surprisingly, Angus not only knew who she was instantly, but greeted her like an old friend.

If you are a part of the magical community in California you've no doubt met and/or interacted with Angus. For nearly twenty years he has been one of the guiding lights of Community Seed, an open Pagan circle in Santa Cruz. Back in the days of PantheaCon Angus was on many people's "must see list" presenter lists; once you attended one of his Pagan Humor presentations you were hooked for life. He's also been at Hexenfest (listen to Angus talk about music, you'll be glad you did) and Between the Veils and has read Tarot at dozens of places including the Winchester Mystery House and Serpent's Kiss (bookstore).

Perhaps most importantly though, Angus is one of those people who I can't help but think of us "glue." He's the one that keeps groups running, welcomes new people into our community, and is always there to help out when needed. A lot of this is unfun in the weeds type of work, but Angus does it with an open heart and a smile.

And here's where we all come in, we can help that smile. Angus has unselfishly given his everything to our community for the last twenty years, and now we've got a chance to give something back to him. I know that we all get bombarded with go fund me requests day after day, but if we all can help out just a little bit, we can get things done together!

So I'm asking you to help my friend and pretty hair twin out, and if you can't donate that's fine too, you can help by simply sharing this fundraiser. Every dollar helps and every share on social media helps too. (And keep reading for some words from Angus himself!)

Blessed Be!

-jason mankey

Some Words From Angus:

Over the decades I’ve had several dentists tell me variations of “Well, you did the best you could with what your parents gave you…..” but now comes the time when I must ‘clear the slate’ and start anew. I’ve slowly been losing teeth since I had a jaw tumor 20 years ago, and now I am down to one chewing surface – one half of which needs a root canal.

But beyond the practical, there is the emotional. I haven’t felt comfortable smiling in photos in decades. I’m an outgoing, gregarious, extravert and yet I fear that people will notice the gaps in my teeth. It is only in researching this procedure that I’ve come to terms with the psychological side of not have a good smile.

So, after waiting 6 months for an appointment, Admiral Karen and I both went to a new dentist, and……her exam went better than mine. The original total for me, for complete upper and lower implants would come to – have a seat and hold onto something - $50,000. How much after insurance? $50,000.

Okay, I may not have much of a smile, but I can sure as hell LAUGH, and that was a legitimately laughable number.

So, I put on my research hat and dug in. I can get by just fine with an upper implant (an “All on 4”) and a couple of brand new bicuspids on the bottom.

Okay, we’re down to $36,000! And that’s still pretty damned amusing. I traveled to San Jose to get a second opinion, but they would have charged me even more.

I love GoFundMe, and rarely pass by a campaign without contributing–and then forwarding. But just for due diligence I reached out to two musician friends of mine to discuss crowdfunding. After a token moment in which we would have ranted about the American Healthcare System, Valentina and Sharon both gave me one word, pretty much simultaneously: Mexico.

No, really, it’s a legit thing! More than a million people every year travel South to get work done. The town I am looking at, Los Algodones,(A/K/A “Molar City”), is 10 minutes from downtown Yuma, has a population of 5,500, of whom 600 are dentists! They can take care of everything I need, in two week-long stays, 4 months apart, for a grand total of $10,000.

This amount is much more manageable, downright achievable even, with the support of the community. And that’s where you come in, my beloved friends.

If you can make a contribution to get me to my goal, that would be simply wonderful. If you can’t, believe me, I understand, but forwarding and sharing is quick and easy and will help me out considerably. There is a bright new smile waiting for me this fall, and just think of the stories I’ll write about this adventure!