Julissa’s quiet determination and selflessness both humbled and inspired our staff and doctors.

We had an opportunity to help such a wonderful young woman who was prepared to sacrifice her own health and future, without a second thought for herself.

Meet Julissa. When we first met her, she was 16 years old. Julissa is a good kid. She is quiet but very smart, humble and mature. She is interested in fashion and design. She gets good grades in school. The oldest of 5 children, Julissa feels a lot of responsibility for her family.

Some time ago, Julissa fell and broke her front tooth, which required a root canal. However, her doctor was not able to finish fixing the tooth because it was in a difficult position and needed to be straightened or it would break again, and Julissa could lose her tooth.

Julissa was referred to 1st Family Dental of Elgin to see our Board-Certified Orthodontist, Dr. Ramzi Duaibis. Dr. Duaibis confirmed that Julissa would need braces in order to get her teeth into a position where they could be repaired. Julissa and her mom were hoping that her treatment would be covered with assistance from the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services (HFS), but unfortunately her case was not approved by the state.

While in our office, Julissa told our staff that she did not want to get braces because it would cost the family too much when things were already tough. She was polite but firm – Julissa insisted that her mother use their limited resources on rest of the family, rather than on her. Julissa’s quiet determination and selflessness both humbled and inspired our staff and doctors. We had an opportunity to help such a wonderful young woman who was prepared to sacrifice her own health and future, without a second thought for herself.

Dr. Duaibis and the 1st Family Dental team decided we could help Julissa by providing the orthodontic treatment she needed for free.

In the first video, Julissa and her mom talk about what happened to bring her to 1st Family Dental for a consultation, and how she feels about starting braces treatment.

In the second video, Julissa gets her braces, talks about how it feels to have them, and shares some advice for kids her age, as well as parents.

We have a third story, coming soon, where we catch up with Julissa more than a year later to see how her treatment has been going, and how she feels about her new life with a beautiful and healthy smile.