Evan Hill was a 12-year-old boy living in Christchurch, New Zealand. Although he was known as a friendly and kindhearted child by his peers, Evan’s physical appearance made him the victim of relentless taunting and bullying.
Evan was born with two very large front teeth that made it difficult for him to speak and close his mouth. The orthodontist said, “It’s the worst case I’ve seen in 25 years.” Kids at school mocked him because of his buck teeth and called him “rabbit kid.” His mom, Barbara, was crushed to see her son in so much physical and emotional pain. But for Evan to have his teeth fixed properly, it would cost upwards of $12,000. After the Hill family suffered a string of deaths and then their home was also destroyed in an earthquake that left them with no money at all; they just couldn’t afford the surgery.
The Hill family couldn’t believe what was about to happen…
Evan Hill was known as the “rabbit kid” by his peers when he was 12 years old. Born with buck teeth and a severe overbite, this young boy from Christchurch was unable to close his mouth or speak properly.
Evan’s jaw was set at a 12-degree angle, instead of the correct 2 degrees. He also had a two-centimeter gap between his top and bottom teeth.
Evan’s family was hit hard by the earthquake that struck Christchurch. They lost their car, which made it difficult for them to take Evan to dental appointments.
Even though in New Zealand, dental care is free for children under 18, Evan was not able to take advantage of the program, as he needed much more advanced dental work.
Evan’s mom, Barbara, had to consider mortgaging their house in order to pay for Evan’s dental surgery. But before the family lost all hope, Evan made an appearance on a news show in New Zealand called Campbell Live. After sharing his story of struggles with the scores of viewers at home, an unexpected change came over him in a flash.
Evan’s community and all across New Zealand responded to Evan’s TV segment with selfless donations. In a short time, $100,000 had been raised! An overwhelmed Barbara was touched by the generosity of strangers. Despite going through years of pain, Evan was able to finally got the treatment he needed.
A portion of the money was also spent to buy a car for the Hill family. The leftover donations were put into a trust so that other kids who needed dental work which their families could not afford would have access to it.
After five years, his braces were finally removed.
For the first time ever, a boy’s dream was made into reality. He got his “dream smile” because of people who were kind enough to help him in any way they could.
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