Help Maisie Get a New Jaw

In 1997, our two year old daughter began diagnosis and treatment for cancer, because tumors on her jaw were aggressively tightening the joint. We were told that she was one of only forty two cases in the world, with this type of tumor activity. We immediately knew it was going to be a long and terribly difficult path. After so many years of hardships, through things such as UCSF Tumor Board meetings, chemotherapy, radiation, trips to SF for countless MRI's, Emergency Room visits, a very kind Make-a-Wish trip, generous donations, and finally a total jaw replacement surgery at Stanford, we made it to the end on June 16, 2004, when Maisie was nearly nine.

But that was not the end. Twenty years later, she has started to feel intense pain in her jaw, where the bone had been replaced with one of her ribs. After a CT scan, it was determined that the bone, joint, and all the hardware are no longer attached to one another. They are drifting and directionless. There is unknown tissue to biopsy, and a source of nerve pain to discover. Maisie's mouth opening is half a centimeter, and she has been instructed to consume only liquids. She has no insurance, and has been refused by multiple agencies, because of her preexisting condition. Finding a facility in our area to perform another total jaw replacement surgery is proving impossible.

The urgency of this situation forces us to ask for your help. Anything at all will be gratefully appreciated! We must repair Maisie's mouth, for a second time.

Thank you for reading, and considering! Please also share this fundraiser, if you have a second. Maybe it will lead to a facility or doctor who can successfully help her.