Thanks to the generosity of more than 2,400 Internet users, a 37-year-old mother who shared her distress on TikTok after negative comments about her appearance was able to undergo dental surgery not covered by RAMQ and thus find a smile again.
Since she was seven years old, Andrée-Anne Frappier has suffered from scleroderma, a rare disease that affects her teeth as well as the elasticity of her skin and certain organs.
“It was one of the rarest cases in Canada, among the youngest,” explains the woman who lives in Bois-des-Filion.
Beyond the physical complications, it was the reactions of others that affected her the most over the years.
“Above all, it was intimidation that was the biggest pitfall in my life,” confides the woman who works as an accountant.
SCREENSHOT TIKTOK, andreanne.frappie
Last August, after her son also received comments regarding his mother’s appearance, Andrée-Anne decided to act.
“It was the last straw,” she confides.
On the advice of her children, she took to 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.
Unexpected wave of love
The response from Internet users exceeded all his expectations: nearly $50,000 was raised in a few weeks, in addition to hundreds of messages of support from “his community”.
“It’s not even friendship, it’s pure love that I have for them,” she confides. “You are beautiful”, “Keep going”, “You are a source of inspiration”, and what struck me the most was a simple “I love you”, she lists. I talk about it and I get chills, having complete strangers say that to me.”
Successful operation
Andrée-Anne has been proudly wearing her new smile for almost two weeks.
She underwent surgery lasting more than 8 hours, under local anesthesia, during which specialists installed fixed prostheses on implants.
“A bit like permanent dentures screwed into the jaw,” explains Andrée-Anne. I find myself beautiful, and then I feel so good.”
She says today that her experience transformed her.
“As much as I was dead inside, today, in this moment, I feel alive more than anything. […] It’s thanks to all these beautiful people who ensure that today, I feel good.”
She wants to continue making videos on TikTok, where she is followed by more than 26,000 subscribers.
Andrée-Anne now wants to realize another dream: to write a book about her story.
