Fundraiser to buy senior new teeth tops goal in just 24 hours
Online campaign raised $1,538
Leigh Ziegler has a reason to smile again.
The Windsor man recently lost the top plate of his dentures during a gastrointestinal infection that left him sick for days.
"He's an extremely sweet, kind, gentle, very quiet man," said Leigh Vachon, executive director at Victoria Manor Supportive Housing where Zeigler lives. "When he came to us his first comments to us was how much he loved the food and that seems to have been a theme ongoing, so when he lost his dentures it was really hard because he can't say enough about the meals here."
He's a sweet, kind soul, very smiley, he's not doing that as much.- Leigh Vichon, executive director at Victoria Manor
The senior was facing a bill of more than $900 to replace the lost teeth, but only receives $146 each month to cover his personal needs.
"He's a sweet, kind soul, very smiley, he's not doing that as much," Vachon added. "He's expressed to us that he's having a really hard time eating. He's had his dentures for a really long time, so little tiny pieces, breaking them up and trying to chew them with only the bottoms, obviously he's struggling with that."
After a week of seeing Ziegler struggle, staff at Victoria Manor turned to GoFundMe, launching a campaign that raised $1,538 in just one day.
"We were shocked. Within 24 hours … to meet our goal, we're blown away," said Vachon.
Low income people often 'go without'
Ziegler has an appointment to get his new teeth Friday, but the support home director said his plight highlights the gaps people living with disabilities so often fall through.
"People go without hearing aids, people go without teeth," said Vachon. "If they're not covered, low income people go without all the time."