A Mother's Day Appreciation

It was obvious our 3rd child, Charity, needed braces for her severely over-crowded teeth. My husband and I were concerned as we watched Charity struggle with her self-confidence the older she became. Her sixth grade teacher commented that she often covered her mouth when she laughed or ate. And she always smiled with her lips pressed together. We knew we needed to do something, but just didn’t know how we could afford it.

Then an orthodontist told us about Smiles Change Lives. One of the conditions when we began the application process was that the participant live in the KC area, which we didn’t see as a problem. However, my husband had an unexpected job change that would take us from Kansas City. We received Charity’s letter of acceptance into SCL on the day that we signed a purchase agreement to sell our house in the KC area. We were disappointed, but figured God had other plans.

Shortly after our move to Southwest Michigan, we received an email from SCL, asking if we were still interested in braces for Charity. After learning of our move, SCL contacted us again and informed us they were expanding the program into other parts of the country and would try to find a participating orthodontist in Michigan, if we were interested. We were AMAZED over the next couple of months as SCL went to bat for us. The SCL staff seemed to really care about Charity and her need to have her smile “fixed” and kept looking, even after some leads turned into dead ends.

SCL found Dr. David Cramer in Grandville, MI. He agreed to give Charity braces and as Charity said, it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her. Dr. Cramer and his staff have been so gracious; they’ve treated Charity just like a “normal” patient; and I feel like they do all they can to make her comfortable during the process. It’s almost been a month now since Charity had her braces put on, and my husband and I have just felt a sense of relief that Charity has a chance to have her teeth straightened. She seems more relaxed now, too, when she is around her friends, and not quite as self-conscious. Every now and then we’ll get an open-mouthed smile, too.

We just really appreciate Smiles Change Lives, Dr. Cramer, and his staff for all they’ve done for Charity!! God bless you guys!!

SCL Mother, 5/10/2010