New teeth for New Year

My wonderful friend Jo has Fibromyalgia and hasn't been able to work for many years due to debilitating pain. She always put others first, including when her daughter also became ill as a teenager, to Jo's detriment at times - but that's what mum's do.

Jo has a mystery autoimmune disorder that has caused many symptoms including brittle hair and teeth. Just about all her teeth either broke, chipped, or got infected due to this illness, which the specialists have not figured out yet. She has been in constant pain for several years and she can't tolerate most of the standard analgesic pain relievers due to chemical sensitivities.

Hospital specialists believed that the best course of treatment was the removal of all of Jo's teeth and for her to have dentures for the rest of her life. She has been on the hospital waiting list, in agony for two years. Around that time, Jo went to a dentist appointment for an abscess (which kept happening because of the brittleness), and within hours Jo got Bell's Palsy (paralysis of the right side of her face). It seems to have been a bad reaction to the sedation. Because of this, the specialists agreed to give her general anaesthesia during teeth extraction, but that she would have to wait another year.

Jo was in too much pain, so she has had the teeth removed privately. But she's had to borrow $8,000 to do this. The dentures will cost $3000. I'd love for us all to donate and help Jo pay these bills and regain her beautiful smile, pain-free.