Help Kinika Rebuild Her Smile

In the beginning of 2018, I started experiencing excruciating pain & discomfort. Three months later, I received the unfortunate news of being diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare type of cancer that forms in soft tissue. My treatment started immediately due to the aggressiveness of RMS. I knew I would experience the most common side effects cancer patients experience such as weight and hair loss, nausea, and weakness. However, I did not anticipate the impact it would have on my teeth. Little did I know some cancer treatments could affect the mouth, teeth, and salivary glands. I began to develop dry mouth and extremely bad mouth sores. This made it difficult to eat, talk, chew, or swallow. From there it progressed quickly to my teeth chipping, tooth decay and infections. Eating has become more painful daily due to the breakdown of my teeth and infection. The current condition of my teeth has affected my smile and appearance.  Having to create a GoFundMe and be completely transparent with my greatest insecurity has caused extreme anxiety. Wondering what people may say because it is not aesthetically pleasing but this is my story. Essentially all dental work needed to complete the process in order to place implants will be completely out-of-pocket. Dental and medical insurance provides little-to-no coverage for these types of procedures. If you know of any dental surgeons willing to provide services for little or no cost, please send me the information. I am truly grateful for any help and support.