Addiction is a disorder that affects the person’s brain and actions.
According to WebMD, “when you’re addicted to drugs, you can’t resist the urge to use them, no matter how much harm the drugs may cause.”
As reported in 10TV WBNS, the opioid has reached every corner of Ohio and people are dying, but overdosing is not the only devastating result of drug abuse.
Even those who fight back against their addiction and break free from it still have an uphill battle long after they’ve committed to recovery.
Debbie Mooney is familiar with this adverse circumstance. She is the mother who desperately plea for help for her son, Derek, who struggled to cope with the aftermath of his drug use.
“I’m writing on behalf of my son Derek. I need a miracle. Derek is in recovery but was a heroin addict for many years. He’s been clean for three years but his past haunts him.”
“I know a lot of parents deal with drug addiction and your biggest fear is overdose but there’s so much more after the fact,” Debbie said.
Debbie watched her son battled the demons of addiction for 15 years.
She said that with prayer and rehab he finally got clean and began a promising career as a chef. However, neither mother nor son expected the aftermath of his drug addiction to be just as painful.
“I just really fear that he will go into a deep depression because he wants his life back and this haunts him every day,” Debbie shared.
Drug abuse ruined Derek’s teeth, a mouthful of infection, and intolerable pain.
It’s one dirty truth about surviving drug addiction.
“My self-esteem has been super low. I don’t go out. I don’t have friends,” Derek said.
Debbie said that she can’t remember the last time she saw her son smile.
On the other side of town in Pickerington, Dr. Phillip Katz, a cosmetic dentist gained the attention on the letter of a heartbroken mother.
“We see this quite a bit. Our most common patients that require dental implants or the teeth in a day protocol our former drug addicts because they don’t realize how bad the drugs actually destroy their mouth.”
Dr. Katz agreed to help Derek.
https://www.facebook.com/drphillipkatz/photos/a.145224708858557/814845758563112/
His team at the “State of the Art Smiles” designed his new teeth and move forward with the surgery. They spent nearly six hours extracting teeth and cleaning out the infection before placing the new implants.
It’s the answer to Debbie’s prayer for someone to save her son.
“He did so great! All the implants went perfectly!” Dr. Katz said.
Derek was still a little drowsy after the procedure and wheeled out to his mother and he smiled.
This is the moment they’ve been waiting for years. The moment is overwhelming. The emotion is raw. The gratitude is endless.
It was a life-changing experience. Derek’s self-esteem is regaining and he’s starting to enjoy life again.
“To know that you can talk and laugh and you know people aren’t looking at you or staring.”
When he returned to work, his colleagues said that he’s happier and more confident.
Derek was very grateful that someone cared enough to restore his smile.
Dr. Katz and his team made a huge change in his life.
https://www.facebook.com/drphillipkatz/posts/2117157731665235
He plans to pay it forward and share his story with young people in hopes of saving them from going down the same dark path as he did.
If you want to watch the great change in Derek’s life, check on the video below!
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