Help Mo breathe!

Hi! For all of you who know Monique, you know she is amazing and has a heart of GOLD! She has fostered over 10 kids in the past 2 years and has given her heart selflessly to these children. Right now, it’s our time to help her.

Monique has a rare medical condition called a lingual thyroid. Her thyroid sits behind her tongue, blocking more than half her airway. She was born with this and having a smaller airway is all she knows! Over time her posture and the way she holds herself up to breathe has taken a toll on her jaw joints and surrounding muscles. Monique has had her jaw locked since April of 2022. 

After seeing many specialists she has found one of the best oral surgeons in the country, located in St. Louis. Monique is a rare case, and it was extremely challenging to find someone willing to do her surgery because of the lingual thyroid. She currently has 4 surgeons and an orthodontist collaborating on her case from all different states!

At this point in time- Mo’s airway is pretty constricted. The goal of surgery is to move her lower jaw forward and moving her tongue forward in order to open up her airway. She will also undergo a double jaw joint replacement and a couple other surgical procedures to help her not be in anymore pain, and be able to breathe better! 

She has learned insurance will not cover most

of this surgery. Even if she’s able to get some

coverage, it will be very little and it won’t cover the costs. Braces alone were $12,000 to make room in her mouth for surgery. Her surgery will be in St. louis and will cost approximately $45,000. This doesn’t include the flights there to prep for surgery & her stay after surgery. If Monique can’t raise some of these funds, this surgery is not possible for her. 

We all know how much Monique loves and cares for others. Let’s try and support her in this scary moment that she’s going through. There are lots of unknowns and fears with this financial situation and she just wishes to be able to breathe better someday and not be in jaw pain! Any little bit helps. She also appreciates any prayers. Thank you! ❤️