Dental Lifeline Network is proud to honor and support our nation’s veterans through our Lifeline Heroes Challenge, a rally call to ensure veterans get the dental care they need. One Navy veteran that received care is Michael, 81. After serving his country, Michael struggled to afford treatment until he found help from DLN.
After serving in the United States military for four years, Michael spent his career working in flooring. He suffers from PTSD from his time in the military, congestive heart failure and macular degeneration–an eye disease that affects his vision. He was diagnosed with liver cancer and had a transplant in 2008. His health issues make it difficult to get around as he is often short of breath and uses a walker.
When Michael came to the DDS program for help, all his teeth were missing, and it was extremely difficult for him to eat. Without dental insurance, Michael was unable to afford the cost of a new denture set. Relying solely on his limited retirement income and VA disability, Michael was feeling hopeless and wondering if he would get the dental care needed to help him chew and smile again.
Thankfully, two caring DDS volunteers stepped in to help! A volunteer dentist, Dr. Jennifer Marker Johnson, saw Michael and fitted him for a full upper and lower denture, generously donated by Dandy Dental Lab. Thanks to this team of volunteers, Michael was able to eat food again and smile more confidently at the end of his treatment!
“Dr. Jennifer and her staff had a lot of patience with me and my health issues,” said Michael of his experience in the DDS program. “I’m forever grateful for them and your program for helping me be able to smile again!”
Dental Lifeline Network exists to transform the lives of America’s most vulnerable adults through our coordinated system of care. We believe that all vulnerable adults, especially veterans, deserve access to the oral healthcare they need.
Thanks to our generous donors, volunteers, and supporters during the 2023-24 fiscal year, we were able to help these veterans with comprehensive dental care.
Since the Lifeline Heroes Challenge began, DLN has served 4,864 veterans nationwide and generated $28.1 million in donated treatment for these veterans.
In addition to the many dentists, specialists, and labs who have volunteered their services to help veterans in need, we would like to extend a sincere thank you to our donors and to the generous sponsors of our 2024 Lifeline Heroes Challenge including the Benco Family Foundation, Delta Dental, Dentsply Sirona, Henry Schein Dental, Patterson Dental, the Integra Foundation, Safeway Foundation, and The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, to name a few. A complete list of Lifeline Heroes Challenge sponsors can be found on our website here.
To make a difference in the lives of veterans like Michael, join our sponsors and volunteers in helping veterans get quality dental care today.
- Give a gift to support our Lifeline Heroes Challenge: Donate Here
- Volunteer to see a patient in your area, if you haven’t in a while: Sign up to Volunteer
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