New teeth for Dawnelle

No one should ever have to hide their smile. If you know Dawnelle De Marco, you know she's one of the kindest, most outgoing, sassy cowboy boot-wearing humans on the planet. Maybe she's served you tacos from Big Blue. Or held your baby while you ate brunch at Super Six or Marination. Or perhaps she's walked your dog. If you've been lucky, she's given you a plate of the holiday cookies she bakes yearly. Dawnelle exudes pure joy, but her ongoing dental woes have worn down her spark and wreaked havoc on her smile.

Dawnelle De Marco beat lymphoma in 2014 and has been dealing with the aftermath of chemotherapy ever since. Six rounds of high-dose chemo coupled with Sjögren's syndrome, a systemic autoimmune disease that affects the entire body, has resulted in her needing to have ALL of her teeth removed and replaced. She’s in remission from Diffuse Large B cell cancer, but still has marginal zone cancer—there’s no treatment for this cancer as of yet.

Her dental situation has taken a significant toll on her confidence, not to mention her mental health. She still smiles, without showting her teeth—ever—out of embarrassment. This is no way for someone who literally beams joy everywhere to live.

Dawnelle needs full implants on the bottom. The top will require much more work with a temporary bridge while her mouth gets extensive bone grafting. Currently, she doesn't have enough bone to anchor the implants. Dentures are not an option as there is nothing to keep them in place.

This will be a long, expensive, and complicated reconstructive process. Dawnelle is looking at $90,000 – 100,000 of out-of-pocket dental costs. (Yes, you read that correctly—and this is after several different medical opinions.)

Medical travel is not an option, as Dawnelle has work and parental obligations. However, she's hoping that any time off from work is covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Still, her eligibility has not yet been determined. She also needs to be under the close supervision of her medical team in case any step of this lengthy process goes awry. Traveling abroad for services simply isn't feasible given the complexity of her treatment plan.

Dawnelle has tirelessly supported her community—now it's time to show her love and support and get this beautiful human smiling again. Oh, and she'd really like to be able to chew food normally again.

Please help Dawnelle regain her smile without undue financial burden. Anything you can give to help make this arduous journey a little less costly--and stressful--will be greatly appreciated. We love and appreciate you.