July 25th, 2024

Dear Friends,

I am it a state of deep gratitude right now, both to you and to the wonderful dental practitioners we have been so blessed to encounter. Thank you for your kind and generous help.

Last week, I took Joni to the recommended endodontist to see if a tooth can be saved. It was a consultation that revealed that it's not just one tooth, but 2 that were in jeopardy. Fortunately, both teeth could be saved. What I haven't told you about is the extraordinary kindness of the endodontist.

We were expecting to pay $260 for the consultation. I told him we were running a GoFundMe campaign and by the time we walked out of the office, he said not to worry about the consultation fee. He also had to take a more specialized CT scan for $250 and he just did it pro bono. Naturally I thanked him, but I said that we would have to wait until the GoFundMe campaign brought in the necessary funds before we could come back. He wouldn't hear of it. He said, let's just get Joni taken care of...pay when you can. WOW!

Then, before we drove off, Joni realized she never got her driver's license back from the office manager, so I hopped out of the car to retrieve it. On the way to the elevator, I saw a man getting into his car. It was the endodontist. I called out to him and thanked him profusely for his kindness. I'll never forget his words. He said, "Julian, in this life we all help each other." I was so humbled.

When we went back to get the root canals done, we had a surprise. Rather than having to grind off an existing crown and then having to pay the cost of a new crown, the good doctor said he was going to go in through the side of the tooth to re-treat the previous root canal, so no remaking of the crown would be needed. [In case you didn't know, these are more expensive than gold, at about $3,000 each, so to do a root canal through the side of the tooth is great!]

Both teeth were done this way and it took just 50 minutes, which is also great because it causes Joni a lot of jaw trouble if her mouth is open for a long time.

Afterwards, the endodontist excitedly called me in to explain what he found. Both teeth were quite badly infected, but he was able to save them. The big news was about the tooth that already had the root canal and needed "re-treatment." He said he found another root!!! That tooth had a badly done root canal job and Joni lived in so much pain for decades. No dentist would take her pain seriously...dismissing it because the roots were gone and so the tooth couldn't possibly be painful. Now she finds out that the original root canal job was incomplete. She should not have any more pain from that tooth, and 2 more serious infections are now gone from her mouth...YAY!!!

The endodontist was so kind to us. We gave him the first $1000 of a $4600 bill, so we're still needing $3600 for him and there's much more work still needed before we can be sure Joni is ready for jaw surgery.

Joni is such a trooper, having endured so much, but needless to say, this is really getting to her...she just wants to get back to doing her good work in the world.

You might be aware that I've been spending all my time doing fund-raising. The GoFundMe direct effort has been insufficient, unfortunately, in spite of your kind help.

I have sent hand-addressed physical letters to 440 philanthropists asking for help. Although I am still hopeful, actual responses have been diminishingly small, save one kind gentleman who donated $500 to a complete stranger. I am so grateful, but still searching for major funds.

As of the last few days, I've been making a major push to reach out to churches in the area and have been touched by the most beautiful heartfelt prayers over the phone for Joni for which I am grateful. Joni's energy is up.

Although it's still very, very tough for her, I've seen more smiles on her face recently, including some sly ones as she pulls pranks on me...always a good sign. No doubt getting rid of infections is part of it, but I'm sure all the prayers from so many spiritual people are helping.

The next step is to examine the back end of Joni's dental bridge. The back tooth anchoring it is painful and the prosthodontist is hopeful, but necessarily unclear of the condition of that tooth until he takes off the bridge. There is a crack in that tooth, but teeth often have cracks that don't necessarily indicate an unhealthy tooth...so, we'll see. It is painful, which is not a good sign.

If you have any ideas as to how to raise major funds...perhaps you might know an angel donor...maybe a friend, or a friend of a friend, or a company-wide effort to do genuine spiritual philanthropy anonymously as suggested by an employee...I'd be grateful for the help. On the corporate scale, what Joni needs is miniscule, but it has to be brought to the attention of a genuine philanthropist. Please think hard about this. Joni still is in a fight for her life.

Right now, further work is necessarily on hold until funds come and this is the worst possible position for Joni to be in. She needs treatment...rapidly. I wish I could find more top-notch practitioners, like the ones we've found, who have recognized Joni's sweetness and gentleness of soul, who want to help her...just because.

Thank you so much for your kind prayers and good will. Progress is good because 3 major infections are now gone, but Joni has so much further to go and the path ahead is far from clear right now. This is really nerve-racking and Joni has expressed growing fears that she's not going to be able to get out of this.

If you work for a major corporation that could easily bring Joni back to life, please consider reaching out to those who can make such decisions with the stroke of a pen. It is life-changing and life-saving when pointed out to just the right person...a single question can save a life.

As always, thank you. Please keep your good thoughts and prayers coming. Joni is so grateful for all your love, compassion, and kind help. You are beautiful :-)

Much love and many blessings,

Julian

:-)

July 5th, 2024

Dear Friends,

An update follows, but first let me apologize for the long delay in giving you this news. Rick Beneteau and I have been working over-time on fundraising for Joni because unfortunately all the usual methods of spreading the word have not been sufficient to raise the funds Joni needs.

Joni did have that badly infected tooth removed, the one that was infecting the jaw bone. A bone graft was inserted to provide a solid structure for a future implant. That went well and the sutures were removed on Tuesday. Special kudos to the prosthodontist who cleverly removed the tooth without having to destroy the bridge to which it was attached.

There was some mention that the location of the removed tooth was right next to where the mandibular nerve emerges at the chin. It was possible that this major nerve had become infected and that such an infection might be the cause of Joni's speech and swallowing troubles. Unfortunately, we've not seen a significant change in symptoms since the tooth was removed and antibiotics provided. I still think we're dealing with compressed nerves caused by Joni's worn out jaw joints.

Joni still needs a lot of preparatory work done before jaw surgery. All remaining sources of infection must be removed and then a splint made to establish a correct bite that will minimize pressure on her jaw joints.

The proposed treatment plan includes a temporary splint, but it would be bonded in place. This makes proper dental hygiene impossible, so I'm trying to get the dentist to agree to an alternative that is removable...no answer yet on that...more delays.

Joni has an endodontic appointment on the 11th, but insufficient funds at this point for full treatment, so there is uncertainty about how to proceed. All I know is that I cannot fail to deliver. Joni is quite weak and she is getting very impatient to be out of this condition. Her bright soul is getting very tired.

Disappointingly, as much as I am trying to speed up Joni's treatment, various factors, other than necessary funds, are slowing it down. It's the vacation time of the year and appointments often are a couple of weeks out even when not bumping into vacations. That Joni's case is so complex means also that dentists are being very cautious, which translates to more delays.

Please be patient with me as I try to coordinate and manage all this. I will provide updates as treatments unfold. It's taking quite a lot to keep all the various plates spinning.

Thank you so much for your kind prayers and good thoughts. Joni remains a trooper, but as you can understand, pain gets old fast, but moreso because she is unable to speak or swallow properly. This condition is really wearing her down.

Please keep your good thoughts and prayers coming. Joni really needs them. She is so grateful for all your love and compassion.

Much love and many blessings,

Julian

:-)

June 18th, 2024

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your kind wishes, prayers, donations and love.

Yesterday brought more information from Joni's last scheduled dental consultation with another prosthodontist, who I must tell you very much impressed both of us. As you can imagine, Joni cannot afford any mistakes at this juncture, so we were very pleased at the depth of his examination, including Joni's neck, shoulders, head, jaw movement, throat and teeth. This was her most careful and thorough dental practitioner to date.

He found that in spite of the antibiotics, one tooth is particularly badly infected, which actually goes into the jaw bone. No other practitioner has even noticed Joni's jaw bone infection, something that shows very clearly on the xray once I was clued in as to what to look for. That tooth is not one we had been told was all that bad, although infected.

So at this point, Joni is scheduled to have that tooth extracted, the infection cleaned out, a bone graft, and a temporary splint to give her a bite that will hopefully give her jaw a normal home position...something that she hasn't had.

Joni's bite will probably need to be adjusted a few times by grinding away parts of the splint until her pain is minimized. It's temporary, but we're hoping that this is the beginning of the journey. It also might be the start of Joni being able to take in more food so she can re-gain weight and build up strength in preparation for the jaw surgery.

There are no easy answers and we're just going to have to go step-by-step through the process to see how things unfold, but we think we've found the right guy to do the start of this journey.

As things progress, I'll keep you informed. In the meantime, your good thoughts and prayers are a huge blessings. Please keep them coming. Just know that Joni is sending all of you big hugs and surrounding you with love.

Thank you so very much for your love and compassion. Joni is so grateful.

Much love and kindest blessings,

Julian

:-)

June 12th, 2024

Yesterday, was the first light we have seen in terms of getting someone to take in the full complexity of Joni's very difficult case. Today, we made further progress.

The plan presented to us yesterday made a good deal of sense...re-establish Joni's dental bite so her jaw finally has a home position and can relax into that position in preparation for jaw surgery.

In theory, that sounds good, but it still is a very complicated case when considered in light of the many details that must be tended to. For one, it is imperative that Joni's nerves are not damaged in the process of removing infected teeth. Second, as discussed yesterday, it is not certain that simply re-establishing Joni's dental bite will take pressure off the critical nerves that control speech and swallowing. It's what we are trying to accomplish but nerves are very delicate structures and what most of us don't know is that nerves don't always run along expected pathways...there are variations in anatomy from one person to another. They are also tiny and hard to visualize with the various imaging techniques. Therefore, the following has unfolded.

Today's prosthodontist (BTW, that's someone who is concerned with facial problems including restoring missing teeth and jaw difficulties) listened very carefully to all the details, trying very hard to develop a full mental picture. I found him to the be sharpest so far. We started with the idea of re-establishing Joni's bite before jaw surgery, but by the time he got the full picture, he had concerns. What he wants to do is to discuss the plan with the orthognathic surgeon so he understands the safest way to proceed.

I appreciate his attention to detail and his careful and thoughtful approach. So hopefully by the end of the week, or early next week, a clear path will come out of this "mind meld" between the 2 experts.

The last 2 days have been very encouraging to Joni and me. Finally, there is hope for getting out of this very difficult life-threating situation.

Joni continues to fight to get stronger and take in sufficient nutrition, but it is very challenging.

Thank you for all your kind support and bless you for your compassion. Joni is so grateful for your love.

Please keep the prayers, shares, and love flowing.

Much love and kindest blessings,

Julian

:-)

June 11th, 2024

Finally...some really encouraging news...

Until now, we've been driving the process to find Joni what she needs, but we don't have the training to really know how to guide this complex process.

Yesterday, we had an appointment with a dental implant center. This is not a direction I ever would have imagined, but we came back elated. The doctor listened to the complexity of Joni's case from the start. He recognized exactly how Joni's jaw surgery had to fit into the overall plan, and gave us a complete picture of what we had to do. Wow!...first time ever we've had someone not only really understand, but had the experise to deliver what Joni has been needing for so long.

As suspected for some time, Joni needs her jaw in a stable configuration before surgery. That means she'll have a re-established bite, albeit with a temporary appliance, that should be durable enough to last for the surgery and beyond. This will take tension off her seriously worn jaw joints and finally allow her jaw, face, neck and shoulders to relax.

Then the surgery will take place, and after some recovery time, we go back to have the dental appliance adjusted (or remade) because Joni's jaw will want a slightly different position after surgery. After some further recovery time and possible adjustments to the appliance, Joni will be ready to have her bite restored with permanent crowns and a couple of teeth.

The best part of this plan is that finally, Joni will be able to chew solid food and start to get better nutrition. She should be able to gain back weight and strength. This is critical for the upcoming jaw surgery, and this might take some of the criticality out of the picture as long as Joni's nerves are decompressed by the appliance. [Admittedly, there is no guarantee that the dental appliance will relieve nerve pressure completely or at all, but there is hope that it will. If it does, this can buy her some time before undergoing a major surgery.]

Please keep the prayers, social media shares, and donations coming...all good energy is so gratefully received.

I can't tell you how good it feels for both of us to know Joni's nerves can finally get some relieve. With time, her speech and swallowing should return to normal.

As before, the ways you can help participate in Joni's recovery are listed below these updates.

Much love and many blessings to you all,

Julian

:-)

May 29th, 2024

Well, the journey has begun. Today, Joni had her 3rd dental appointment to prepare her for surgery. The journey certainly isn't a straight line and since her case is so complex, it is important that she not make any bad decisions. Therefore, she's not taking anything on faith, but having several consultations.

The first dental visit was to get x-rays and find out which teeth need help before the surgeon can work his magic.

The second visit was with the dentist she really wanted, because he himself, had major jaw work done and knows what it means to be on the patient side of the dentist chair. He thoroughly examined Joni's x-rays and recognized that her case is too complex for his abilities. You have to admire someone who doesn't want to just dive right in to get the business. He referred Joni to a prosthodontist, someone who works to restore your dental bite and also deals with jaw problems such as jaw surgery. That appointment is coming up on June 17th. So that's prosthodontist #1.

Today, Joni had the 3rd consultation from a 5-star dentist, and I do mean 5 stars. He literally has 100, 5-star reviews, and just 1, 4-star review...nothing lower, and he didn't disappoint. When I (Julian) spoke to his office yesterday and described the complexity of Joni's case, the office staff pulled him away from his work to speak to me on the phone himself about a new patient. During the call, I told him we were using GoFundMe to raise money for Joni's dental work. He said, "Let me squeeze you in tomorrow, and I'll do a consultation at no charge."

He, too, said Joni's case was too complex and he said he was disappointed because he was looking forward to doing some pro bono work. He wanted to see Joni without charge, but due to the complexity, had to refer her to a prosthodontist. So he went to call each of the 2 prosthodontists he trusts by phone for a consultation, right then and there, to find out which one to send her to. After about 5 minutes, he came out and said there was no point in keeping us waiting. He would speak to them and then get back to us with a referral.

It was hard for Joni to hear 3 dentists all say her case was too complex and she is worried now that the anticipated surgery might be more complex and extensive than previously anticipated, but we don't know that yet. What we do know is that one of the reasons for the extreme pain she is in, is because her jaw joint has no insulating disc, so she has bone rubbing on bone instead of a proper jaw joint. I can tell you from personal experience that bone-on-bone in your spine is very painful!

That's Joni's journey so far. Please continue sending love and healing prayers. This is going to be a hard journey for Joni, but it will be worth it to be out of pain. It is getting REAL quickly and this is still a life rescue mission. It is so hard for Joni to swallow that out here in the desert, dehydration is a serious concern. I have been really concerned tonight because it was 107 degrees today in the desert and she's just not drinking enough water.

Many blessings to you all. Please keep spreading the word that Joni needs help.

:-)