Hello! My name is Tarren Mudge, and I'm trying to raise funds to hopefully get dental implants, or at least dentures that will actually work. Being fully transparent, I started using drugs with my Dad at the age of 11, and was in full-blown addiction by the time I was 13. I used drugs continuously until I was in my early 20s, and had tried several times to get sober using Suboxone. Soon after using it the first time, my teeth became very brittle and started cracking off in pieces. Over the next couple of years, I lost almost all of my teeth. Once I was fully sober, I got a good job at a lumber mill and had the rest of my teeth removed by a dentist. Once my gums had healed, I got a set of dentures. They have always been painful and have not fit right at all, which has gotten worse over time. I have bought countless creams, adhesives, and powders to try to get them to stay in but they won't, and they are also too big for my face. They make me gag and I have been made fun of for them, so I stopped trying to wear them. It has been over 8 years that I have been sober, and 6 years that I have been without any form of teeth. I am now a 33 year old Father to 3 little boys, and I also have a wife, a house, and 2 dogs to take care of. I have been working a second job very consistently for the last 4 years, with a day off being occasional, and a full two day weekend being very rare. I am also trying to get monetized as a content creator, so that has become like an unpaid third job. I am doing everything I can to make enough money to provide the kind of life for my kids that I dreamed of having growing up, but am still just scraping by. I go to work with holes in my clothes and holes in my boots, but I don't mind. It is my job as a Father and Husband to make sacrifices, and I feel proud to do it. But not having teeth for this long is negatively affecting me in many ways. My jaw always hurts, my bone is slowly being ground down to the point where I will not be able to have implants or dentures at all in the future, my back is always out of alignment, I am not fully digesting a lot of my food, there are tons of things that I can't eat at all, and I feel embarrassed eating around people or even smiling at anyone. I am working on starting my own business, and I worry about potential customers not taking me seriously because I have no confidence due to the mistakes I made as a kid being written all over my face. I have been planning on trying to finance implants for a while now, but I just keep putting it off because I truly don't have the money to spend on myself when so many things are counting on me. Several people have suggested that I sign up for donations so that they can help, so I am setting aside my pride and accepting help if people are willing to give it. I would literally give a stranger the shirt off my back if they needed it, and I always do what I can to help anyone that I see struggling. I know there are many people who feel the same way that I do about spreading kindness and helping others, and sometimes it's ok to be the one getting help rather than giving it. If donating would be a hardship for you at all, please save your money and maybe just send positive vibes my way instead. If you are able to donate, I would be so unbelievably grateful, and I promise I will pay it forward in some way in the future. Thank you for reading, sharing, thinking of me, or donating, I appreciate all of it so much! 🫶