Thanks to the generosity of more than 2,400 internet users, a 37-year-old mother who shared her grief on TikTok after receiving negative comments about her appearance, was able to undergo dental surgery not covered by RAMQ and thus smile again.
Since she was seven years old, André-Anne Frappier has suffered from scleroderma, a rare disease that affects her teeth as well as the elasticity of her skin and certain organs.
“This is one of the youngest cases in Canada,” explains the woman, who lives in Bois-des-Filions.
Beyond the physical issues, other people's reactions have affected her more over the years.
The woman, who works as an accountant, said: “Above all, bullying has been the biggest danger in my life.
Last August, after her son also received comments about his mother's appearance, Andre-Anne decided to act.
“It was the last straw,” she admitted.
On her children's advice, she picked up her phone to share her story on TikTok. She also invited internet users to contribute to her GoFundMe campaign to finance dental surgery not covered by RAMQ.
An unexpected wave of love
The response from Internet users exceeded all his expectations: in addition to hundreds of messages of support from “his community,” nearly $50,000 was raised in a few weeks.
“It's not even friendship, it's pure love that I have for them,” she said. She listed “You're beautiful”, “Keep going”, “You're an inspiration”, and the one that touched me the most was “I love you”. I talk about it and I get chills, complete strangers saying that to me.”
Successful operation
Andre-Anne proudly wore her new smile for almost two weeks.
She underwent more than 8 hours of surgery under local anesthesia, during which experts fixed the fixed prostheses on the implants.
“The little permanent dentures are wrapped around the jaw,” explains Andre-Anne. I'm pretty, and then I'm pretty.
She says today that her experience changed her.
“As dead as I am inside, today, in this moment, I am more alive than anything else. […] Thank you to all these beautiful people who made me feel good today. “
She wants to continue making videos on TikTok, which has more than 26,000 subscribers.
Andre-Anne now wants to realize another dream: to write a book about her story.
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