Help Katherine Get Dental Surgery
Donation protected
For my entire life, my teeth have been a source of embarrassment and pain. Because of an illness when I was a toddler, my teeth have always been weak. I lost my first adult tooth at 11 years old.
Over the years I have lost about half of them. I’ve suffered countless infections and had multiple extensive periodontal surgeries. Currently, the infection and resulting bone loss in my jaw has caused all of my front lower teeth to start falling out. Eating is painful. The truth is I’ve never been able to afford the work required to fix them. I’ve avoided this surgery because the last estimate I got was between $45-$65 thousand dollars to fix and replace my teeth.
This week, I was informed by my dentist that I’m at the point where none of my teeth are salvageable, and that even if I tried, continued bone loss would make most of them fall out within a year or two. Without treatment, I will have to live with ongoing infections in my jaw and sinuses as a result of the teeth going bad and continued bone loss that makes viable treatment more difficult in the future.
All I want is to be able to smile and eat comfortably. Like everyone, I want to be proud of my appearance and never be ashamed to laugh or smile in public or in person.
The current plan, as proposed by my dental care team, comes in at $26,000. Far less than previously estimated but still beyond my financial means. It includes extraction of all of my remaining teeth (19 of them), a bone graft, managing the ongoing infection, alveoloplasty to smooth and reshape my jaw to accommodate prosthetics, full dentures, and three implanted anchor posts to secure them in my mouth. They’ve scheduled surgery for May 24.
I have to come up with full payment up front to cover both the surgery ($17,000) and dentures ($6-8000 and change).
I have spent my life working to build community and in service of others. I am currently employed at a non-profit providing low income housing and supportive services as an Assistant to the Senior Director. I am a former member (26 years of love and service in the community) of a religious order known as the Brotherhood of Saint Gregory before coming out publicly as transgender in 2016. I’m fortunate to have some insurance coverage, but they are modest careers so I do not have savings. As a result, I am asking my beloved community for your support.
I’m asking for help. The unconditional love and acceptance of San Francisco has filled my life with joy. I have found family and home in my service to this community. Over the last several years, I have come into myself as a trans woman. I’ve never felt more joy and yet, I am losing my teeth and am increasingly ashamed to smile even in moments of joy.
As someone striving to live into and love myself as an out trans woman, the fact that I can’t confidently smile to express my happiness is painful.
It’s been a rough year and I know not everyone has the ability to open their wallets right now. If you are able to help, thank you. If you are not able to, consider sharing this with your network and community.
After this surgery, I am confident I will smile proudly and continue doing all I can to help the community, even more hopefully and joyfully. Thank you all!
Kat and Friends
Below is a list of optional thank you gifts to those who donate. These items are limited.
If you are purchasing one of these rewards, let us know in the comments so we can send it to you and remove it from the list. ;-)
SOLD - Heklina's Last Supper, the final poster image from her final show in SF, is a limited edition signed by Heklina and Gooch. This photo is 18 x 12 and a limited edition print of 30. Gooch is one of San Francisco's most prominent night life photographer. He documents the joy and magic that is San Francisco with heart.
$195 - the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence 40th Anniversary Easter Celebration in Dolores Park. This photo by Gooch is 30 x 18. Printed on Hahnemuhle paper and from a limited edition of 200. Gooch is one of San Francisco's most prominent night life photographer. He documents the joy and magic that is San Francisco with heart.
$40 - Hair cut from Ismael De Luna at Healing Cuts Barber shop. 1 available
Ismael de Luna is the owner and head barber at Healing Cuts on Market Street in the Castro, next to Beaux Bar.
Ismael gives the best haircut in SF!
$100/per person - Cooking lessons with Kat - 3 remaining. (2 sold)
Not everyone who knows Katherine Rose knows she is a Culinary Institute of America trained chef, but she is. Kat's known among her friends for her focus on Korean cuisine. Katherine will teach you to cook a delicious meal while you and her cook a meal together and then have a meal together.
Prior to meeting your cooking lessons, Katherine will schedule a time to discuss dietary restrictions, your cooking experience, and your taste preferences to plan the perfect lesson and meal. You and other gift- recipients will join Katherine Rose for an evening of cooking, hands on learning, delicious food, and devilious conversations. All lessons are located in the Castro district of SF.
SOLD. $250 - photo session with Brandon Roberts. SOLD
Professional Photo Shoot at Golden Gate Park. Includes 2 looks & 2 edited digital photos of photographer’s choice. Photos by Brandon Roberts. Queer artist, Brandon Roberts, spent his formative years in the PNW. A traveler at heart, life’s misadventures led him on a journey to Hawaii, Los Angeles and finally New York City where he learned to cultivate his own creative identity. Brandon studied at Rocky Mountain School of Photography and now resides in San Francisco, CA.
www.betterrugged.com
$100 - “HIGHTOPS” 11x14 Digital print formatted as Polaroid. Printed on Kodak Endura Premier paper with luster coating. Signed by artist, Brandon Roberts. 1 available.
Queer artist, Brandon Roberts, spent his formative years in the PNW. A traveler at heart, life’s misadventures led him on a journey to Hawaii, Los Angeles and finally New York City where he learned to cultivate his own creative identity. Brandon studied at Rocky Mountain School of Photography and now resides in San Francisco, CA.
www.betterrugged.com
$500 donation - SOLD - untitled painting by Anthony Anchudo. 24 x 36. Acrylic and Mixed Media. framed.
Anthony began painting seriously in 1986 and immediately explored the possibilities of abstraction. He attended Chabot College where he met painting instructor Neill Studley, a student of Richard Diebenkorn. Neill and the school of California Abstract Expressionism became a larger influence on Anthony's work. He studied privately with Neill four years after Chabot, pushing the boundaries of form and composition.
Anthony currently lives in San Francisco with his partner and curates for a local gallery space. His work is in venues throughout the Bay Area and private collections.
https://www.anchundo.com/
$1500 donation - a custom quilt by Greg Climer. (limit to one)
Valued at $2200.
Greg Climer will translate a picture of you into a quilted portrait in his pixelated style. The final quilt will be approximately 36 x 45 inches and includes two consultations during the making process. Transform your portrait into an heirloom wall hanging. Transforming a wedding portrait into a quilt is the perfect anniversary gift for the 2nd anniversary (its cotton)!
Greg Climer is a San Fransisco based artist known for his quilted images of pixelated gay pornography. His work has been shown at the DeYoung museum, the Museum of Art and Design in NYC, The Mint Museum of Art in North Carolina, and in the permanant collection of the Leslie-Lohmann museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in NYC.
Climer will be the artist in residence in 2022 at at the San Jose Quilt Museum and part of their "Queer Threads" exhibition.
www.gregclimer.com
$1000 donation - Quilt "Daddy in a Speedo" by Greg Climer. (limit to one)
Valued at $2000.
This quilt, titled Daddy In A Speedo, is valued at $2000, measures 49 x 50 and is 100% pieced and sewn cotton.
Greg Climer is a San Fransisco based artist known for his quilted images of pixelated gay pornography. His work has been shown at the DeYoung museum, the Museum of Art and Design in NYC, The Mint Museum of Art in North Carolina, and in the permanent collection of the Leslie-Lohmann museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in NYC.
Climer will be the artist in residence in 2022 at at the San Jose Quilt Museum and part of their "Queer Threads" exhibition.
www.gregclimer.com
$1000 - 2 hours of writing coaching with Leslie Carol Roberts. (limit to one)
Everyone has a story to tell and we all need to tell it well. Award winning writer and writing professor will work with you to help jumpstart your writing project. from memoir, to novel, to art and design, Leslie will help jumpstart your writing projects. Thrilled to read and edit up to 80 pages or work with you to structure your book, you can tap into Leslie's experience for your writing projects.
Leslie Carol Roberts is the author of Here Is Where I Walk: Episodes from a Life in the Forest (2019, Nevada) and The Entire Earth and Sky: Views on Antarctica, (Nebraska.) She is faculty with the Architectural Ecologies Lab at California College of the Arts, where she is a founder the ECOPOESIS Movement, as well as Professor and Chair of MFA Writing at CCA. Her essays and journalism on food, design, Antarctic tourism, travel, and the sciences have been widely published in the US and abroad.
https://lesliecarolroberts.org/
*****
We launched this GFM in response to a crisis. The ways we can show our gratitude and thanks is a work in progress. Please, contribute what you can, and also check back in as we will add new services and items when possible.
Friends, if you have a service or item you can auction off in support of Katherine Rose, please let us know and we can add it too. This year has been difficult and not all of us have the ability offer financial support but we can support our friend through our services being sold here.
Over the years I have lost about half of them. I’ve suffered countless infections and had multiple extensive periodontal surgeries. Currently, the infection and resulting bone loss in my jaw has caused all of my front lower teeth to start falling out. Eating is painful. The truth is I’ve never been able to afford the work required to fix them. I’ve avoided this surgery because the last estimate I got was between $45-$65 thousand dollars to fix and replace my teeth.
This week, I was informed by my dentist that I’m at the point where none of my teeth are salvageable, and that even if I tried, continued bone loss would make most of them fall out within a year or two. Without treatment, I will have to live with ongoing infections in my jaw and sinuses as a result of the teeth going bad and continued bone loss that makes viable treatment more difficult in the future.
All I want is to be able to smile and eat comfortably. Like everyone, I want to be proud of my appearance and never be ashamed to laugh or smile in public or in person.
The current plan, as proposed by my dental care team, comes in at $26,000. Far less than previously estimated but still beyond my financial means. It includes extraction of all of my remaining teeth (19 of them), a bone graft, managing the ongoing infection, alveoloplasty to smooth and reshape my jaw to accommodate prosthetics, full dentures, and three implanted anchor posts to secure them in my mouth. They’ve scheduled surgery for May 24.
I have to come up with full payment up front to cover both the surgery ($17,000) and dentures ($6-8000 and change).
I have spent my life working to build community and in service of others. I am currently employed at a non-profit providing low income housing and supportive services as an Assistant to the Senior Director. I am a former member (26 years of love and service in the community) of a religious order known as the Brotherhood of Saint Gregory before coming out publicly as transgender in 2016. I’m fortunate to have some insurance coverage, but they are modest careers so I do not have savings. As a result, I am asking my beloved community for your support.
I’m asking for help. The unconditional love and acceptance of San Francisco has filled my life with joy. I have found family and home in my service to this community. Over the last several years, I have come into myself as a trans woman. I’ve never felt more joy and yet, I am losing my teeth and am increasingly ashamed to smile even in moments of joy.
As someone striving to live into and love myself as an out trans woman, the fact that I can’t confidently smile to express my happiness is painful.
It’s been a rough year and I know not everyone has the ability to open their wallets right now. If you are able to help, thank you. If you are not able to, consider sharing this with your network and community.
After this surgery, I am confident I will smile proudly and continue doing all I can to help the community, even more hopefully and joyfully. Thank you all!
Kat and Friends
Below is a list of optional thank you gifts to those who donate. These items are limited.
If you are purchasing one of these rewards, let us know in the comments so we can send it to you and remove it from the list. ;-)
SOLD - Heklina's Last Supper, the final poster image from her final show in SF, is a limited edition signed by Heklina and Gooch. This photo is 18 x 12 and a limited edition print of 30. Gooch is one of San Francisco's most prominent night life photographer. He documents the joy and magic that is San Francisco with heart.
$195 - the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence 40th Anniversary Easter Celebration in Dolores Park. This photo by Gooch is 30 x 18. Printed on Hahnemuhle paper and from a limited edition of 200. Gooch is one of San Francisco's most prominent night life photographer. He documents the joy and magic that is San Francisco with heart.
$40 - Hair cut from Ismael De Luna at Healing Cuts Barber shop. 1 available
Ismael de Luna is the owner and head barber at Healing Cuts on Market Street in the Castro, next to Beaux Bar.
Ismael gives the best haircut in SF!
$100/per person - Cooking lessons with Kat - 3 remaining. (2 sold)
Not everyone who knows Katherine Rose knows she is a Culinary Institute of America trained chef, but she is. Kat's known among her friends for her focus on Korean cuisine. Katherine will teach you to cook a delicious meal while you and her cook a meal together and then have a meal together.
Prior to meeting your cooking lessons, Katherine will schedule a time to discuss dietary restrictions, your cooking experience, and your taste preferences to plan the perfect lesson and meal. You and other gift- recipients will join Katherine Rose for an evening of cooking, hands on learning, delicious food, and devilious conversations. All lessons are located in the Castro district of SF.
SOLD. $250 - photo session with Brandon Roberts. SOLD
Professional Photo Shoot at Golden Gate Park. Includes 2 looks & 2 edited digital photos of photographer’s choice. Photos by Brandon Roberts. Queer artist, Brandon Roberts, spent his formative years in the PNW. A traveler at heart, life’s misadventures led him on a journey to Hawaii, Los Angeles and finally New York City where he learned to cultivate his own creative identity. Brandon studied at Rocky Mountain School of Photography and now resides in San Francisco, CA.
www.betterrugged.com
$100 - “HIGHTOPS” 11x14 Digital print formatted as Polaroid. Printed on Kodak Endura Premier paper with luster coating. Signed by artist, Brandon Roberts. 1 available.
Queer artist, Brandon Roberts, spent his formative years in the PNW. A traveler at heart, life’s misadventures led him on a journey to Hawaii, Los Angeles and finally New York City where he learned to cultivate his own creative identity. Brandon studied at Rocky Mountain School of Photography and now resides in San Francisco, CA.
www.betterrugged.com
$500 donation - SOLD - untitled painting by Anthony Anchudo. 24 x 36. Acrylic and Mixed Media. framed.
Anthony began painting seriously in 1986 and immediately explored the possibilities of abstraction. He attended Chabot College where he met painting instructor Neill Studley, a student of Richard Diebenkorn. Neill and the school of California Abstract Expressionism became a larger influence on Anthony's work. He studied privately with Neill four years after Chabot, pushing the boundaries of form and composition.
Anthony currently lives in San Francisco with his partner and curates for a local gallery space. His work is in venues throughout the Bay Area and private collections.
https://www.anchundo.com/
$1500 donation - a custom quilt by Greg Climer. (limit to one)
Valued at $2200. Greg Climer will translate a picture of you into a quilted portrait in his pixelated style. The final quilt will be approximately 36 x 45 inches and includes two consultations during the making process. Transform your portrait into an heirloom wall hanging. Transforming a wedding portrait into a quilt is the perfect anniversary gift for the 2nd anniversary (its cotton)!
Greg Climer is a San Fransisco based artist known for his quilted images of pixelated gay pornography. His work has been shown at the DeYoung museum, the Museum of Art and Design in NYC, The Mint Museum of Art in North Carolina, and in the permanant collection of the Leslie-Lohmann museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in NYC.
Climer will be the artist in residence in 2022 at at the San Jose Quilt Museum and part of their "Queer Threads" exhibition.
www.gregclimer.com
$1000 donation - Quilt "Daddy in a Speedo" by Greg Climer. (limit to one)
Valued at $2000.
This quilt, titled Daddy In A Speedo, is valued at $2000, measures 49 x 50 and is 100% pieced and sewn cotton.
Greg Climer is a San Fransisco based artist known for his quilted images of pixelated gay pornography. His work has been shown at the DeYoung museum, the Museum of Art and Design in NYC, The Mint Museum of Art in North Carolina, and in the permanent collection of the Leslie-Lohmann museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in NYC.
Climer will be the artist in residence in 2022 at at the San Jose Quilt Museum and part of their "Queer Threads" exhibition.
www.gregclimer.com
$1000 - 2 hours of writing coaching with Leslie Carol Roberts. (limit to one)
Everyone has a story to tell and we all need to tell it well. Award winning writer and writing professor will work with you to help jumpstart your writing project. from memoir, to novel, to art and design, Leslie will help jumpstart your writing projects. Thrilled to read and edit up to 80 pages or work with you to structure your book, you can tap into Leslie's experience for your writing projects.
Leslie Carol Roberts is the author of Here Is Where I Walk: Episodes from a Life in the Forest (2019, Nevada) and The Entire Earth and Sky: Views on Antarctica, (Nebraska.) She is faculty with the Architectural Ecologies Lab at California College of the Arts, where she is a founder the ECOPOESIS Movement, as well as Professor and Chair of MFA Writing at CCA. Her essays and journalism on food, design, Antarctic tourism, travel, and the sciences have been widely published in the US and abroad.
https://lesliecarolroberts.org/
*****
We launched this GFM in response to a crisis. The ways we can show our gratitude and thanks is a work in progress. Please, contribute what you can, and also check back in as we will add new services and items when possible.
Friends, if you have a service or item you can auction off in support of Katherine Rose, please let us know and we can add it too. This year has been difficult and not all of us have the ability offer financial support but we can support our friend through our services being sold here.
Fundraising team: Kat’s Dental Squad (3)
Katherine Magdalene Rose
Organizer
San Francisco, CA
Gregory Climer
Team member
Charles Loiacono
Team member