A teen who has survived cancer twice was left without any teeth had to ask for donations so he could get dentures because his insurance company would not cover it. Fortunately, people opened their hearts and their wallets, and now he has enough money to get his dentures.
Cancer Diagnoses, Lost Teeth, and Stingy Insurance
Alex Hunter was first diagnosed with cancer at the age of 4, when he was diagnosed with stage four cancer. He was diagnosed with cancer a second time in recent years and underwent aggressive treatment, which partly led to the death of his teeth. When his teeth died, the insurance paid for the old teeth to be removed, but wouldn’t pay for new ones, saying it wasn’t a medical issue, but a cosmetic one.
Although the news coverage describes the teen as wanting dentures, the insurance refusal and the procedure cost–$11,000–makes it seem likely that it is some variation of implant-supported dentures.
A Bright Outlook on a Hard Life
A cancer diagnosis can bring people down, and being diagnosed with cancer twice may make people feel their life is unfair or terrible, but for Alex, it’s just a part of life. When he was young, his grandmother described how his attitude helped them all, “When we were down, he was always up. He would say grandma let’s pray, I’m in pain and so we would pray.” He also looks forward to using his experience in a positive way, “I want to be a counselor, I want to major in psychology and sociology so I can help others.”
Charities, A Raffle, and Donations
To try to get the money for Alex’s dentures, his family had applied to several charities for assistance, but found they didn’t meet the sometimes strict qualifications to get money. They attempted a raffle to raise the money. Finally, they sought donations online, and here they received the money they needed, more than $16,000 at last count.
When it comes to dentures, insurance isn’t always helpful. We can work with you to find the right dentures for you, and we have many payment and financing options that can make dentures more affordable. To talk to a Columbia, SC denture dentist about this or other denture-related issues, please call (803) 781-9090 for an appointment at Smile Columbia Dentistry.
