‘I don’t think there’s a better gift I can give someone’
Teen with rare, incurable illness gets smile she always wanted
NEW HAVEN — Children with serious medical conditions often ask MakeA-Wish Connecticut for a puppy, room makeover, shopping spree or a swingset.
But all Chairalis Suarez, 18, wanted was a “beautiful smile.”
Her request touched everyone and now Suarez is beaming from ear to ear with perfect pearly whites, as a result of the donation of about $12,000 in dental work by dentist N. Summer Lerch, director at Center for Esthetic Dentistry in New Haven and one of only 420 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world.
Lerch said that when asked to do the job, she was struck by Suarez’s “sweet nature” and the teen’s father’s “complete love and dedication” to his daughter.
“I don’t think there’s a better gift I can give someone. … I love to see people smile,” said Lerch, the first female accredited cosmetic dentist in New England. “When people are free to smile, their life transforms.”
Suarez has a rare genetic disorder — there are only about 200 cases in the world — that progressively destroys the nerve cells in her brain and spinal cord, leaving her in constant pain, said Carin Buckman, spokeswoman for Make-AWish Connecticut.
There is no cure and Suarez’s condition has deteriorated over the last year, making it increasingly difficult for her to walk and talk, Buckman said.
As a side effect of her treatments, Suarez has lost all the enamel on her teeth, leaving them vulnerable to decay. She has had more than 100 dental visits to treat cavities and other issues.
Her wish for a “beautiful smile” — a first for the Make-A-Wish Connecticut chapter — touched those at Make-A-Wish Connecticut because “it truly embodies the mission of Make-AWish,” Buckman said.
“That we’re granting a literal smile to this girl is amazing,” she said.
Suarez’s father, Carlos, who appears in a video about his daughter’s story, speaks emotionally about the joy of seeing her happy and getting her smile wish at “a time you begin to fall in love and make friends.”
Carlos Suarez, a Spanish speaker, says in the video through an interpreter that his daughter was a “normal girl” until between age 11 and 12, when her “medical condition became apparent.”
“She went from a special girl to a very, very brave girl,” Carlos Suarez said, becoming tearful at times in the video.
He described his daughter as “super woman,” “loving” and “exceptional.” He said the family feels “fortunate” to have the wish granted and he gets a “strong feeling” that he can’t even describe when he sees his daughter smiling now.
“I believe that her wish is going to help her a lot. She’ll feel secure, be able to smile and express herself,” he said. “Plus, her inner beauty will be able to shine through her new, beautiful smile.”
Chairalis Suarez indeed is all smiles these days.
“I like to take selfies, but I don’t like to smile in selfies because of my teeth, “she said, before the work was complete. “When my teeth are perfect I’m going to spend all day laughing.”
After five visits with Lerch — fillings, crowns, whitening, a gum lift and more — Suarez finally is laughing all the time and taking smiling selfies like her peers.
“Not liking your smile, not liking your teeth, is a barrier; your spirit is held back, your ability to connect is diminished,” Lerch said.
Lerch said Suarez “lit up and cried tears of joy” when she saw her finished smile in the mirror.
“I’m so proud that we did this,” Lerch said, referring to her team.
Make-A-Wish Connecticut, a chapter of Make-AWish America, is funded by individual and corporate donors, Buckman said, and is grateful for in-kind donations such as Lerch made.
Donations are down by 50 percent during the pandemic, Buckman said, not because of fewer donations, but because of revenue lost from events that normally would be held live.
She said about 150 travel wishes have been postponed during the pandemic because kids in the program are immunocompromised and more vulnerable.
Instead, they are granting as many “Hope at Home” wishes as they can, she said. Buckman said in those wishes — made even when there is no pandemic — kids typically ask for items such as a puppy, a shopping spree, room makeover or a swingset.
Anyone who wants to donate to the organization can go to https://wish.org or call 203-261-9044.