[ad_1]
SUPPLIED
Ashleigh Fenn has a jaw condition which means she can barely open her mouth and must be fed through a tube.
The life-saving dental surgery of a 21-year-old nursing student is out of her reach for $ 60,000, leaving her unable to eat, drink, dress, and suffer regular seizures.
Five years ago, Ashleigh Fenn of Katikati awoke to find that her jaw had closed and throughout her illness she can now only open her mouth seven millimeters.
Constant surgeries have been tried, amid your busy nursing schedule, but nothing brings more than temporary relief.
Now he is fed solely on tubes in a race to raise the $ 60,000 needed for vital bilateral jaw joint replacement surgery as his condition worsens.
READ MORE:
* Referendum on cannabis: 10 pros and cons of legalizing the drug
* Woman living in fear of jaw dislocation determined to get a replacement
* ‘She was a zombie’: Unauthorized CBD transforms a two-year-old epileptic girl
DAVID WALKER / THINGS
Dentists say the proliferation of “natural” toothpaste, also known as fluoride-free, will usher in an epidemic of tooth decay. (Video first published in October 2018)
“It has become a matter of life and death,” Fenn said.
“I cannot take anything by mouth into my body. It hurt too much to chew or swallow and because of that my weight keeps dropping, which is causing other health problems. “
One of those medical problems is regular epileptic seizures.
Seizures are extremely dangerous for Fenn, as he cannot open his mouth.
“If I had to vomit, I could breathe in,” he said.
In September, during a visit with a specialist in Wellington, a seizure caused her to stop breathing and her family feared she would never recover.
His last X-ray showed degeneration in his jaw, adding even more discomfort and restriction. “I’m not getting better,” he said.
“The joints have started to flatten out and change shape,” he said.
Efforts to raise public funds for the surgery have failed. No funding is available for your type of surgery in the Bay of Plenty region.
It has been referred to Wellington, where limited public funds are available, but only enough to cover two people a year.
It costs $ 30,000 to replace one side of the jaw with Fenn which requires both.
Fenn can’t wait any longer. Now he is asking people who can help finance his much needed operation. So far he has raised $ 7000 on his two Givealittle pages.
Your replacement joints will cost about half the total cost of the surgery and will take three months to build. Fenn hopes to raise enough money to start this process.
Despite her medical challenges, Fenn remains focused and hopeful that her medical career will continue.
He completed five years of his medical training before his symptoms got so bad that he could no longer continue.
“I always wanted to make a difference in this world and having my own medical problems could help me empathize with others,” he said.
Fenn says she understands that money is tight, but asks those who can donate what they can so that she can live without pain and give back to others in her nursing career.
“It would mean a lot to me,” he said. “I don’t remember what it’s like to enjoy each passing day and be pain free.
