Cathy lives way up in the hills, miles after the Cottonwood Canyon road ends in the pavement. She first came into an appointment for a swollen tooth. It was discovered that more than one tooth needed to be removed, during the appointment. Unfortunately, the operation was more than she would be able to afford. The dental clinic mentioned her case to a local insurance agency that made annual donations to the clinic. This year, that donation aligned in timing with Cathy’s need for an operation. Complications came up when the scar tissue was not healing properly for her to get a set of dentures. Another operation fixed the problem. Cathy didn’t appear herself when she returned for a follow-up appointment. After some coaxing, the story came out that her grandson was killed in a motorcycle accident the evening before. She wanted to have her teeth fixed so she could look good and have a smile for her family at the upcoming funeral. The clinic shared Cathy’s story with the volunteer dentist, who in turn shared it with the denture lab in town. Everything is planned for Cathy to get her dentures the day before she leaves town for the funeral. She walked out of the dental clinic with her new smile two days before her plane took off.
