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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 4, 2005 Fifteen-year-old Rachael Navarro�s smile was shattered by an errant baseball bat during a Little League game when she was 11. She and her mom, Angie, who�s holding Rachael�s 5-year- old brother, Kameron, can�t afford the cost of fixing it. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven ‘My Christmas wish’ Medford teen hopes for a new front tooth EDITOR’S NOTE: "Light One Candle" is an annual Mail Tribune feature that focuses on the single need of an individual, family or agency during the holiday season. By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Rachael Navarro answers the front door with a shy smile, one hand hiding her mouth. For four years, the 15-year-old Medford girl has been self-conscious around strangers, ever since a bat went flying at a Little League All-Stars game — and struck her in the mouth. "We were warming up before our game and there was a net there," recalls Rachael. "The baseball bat got caught in the net and came flying back." She still remembers the crack of the bat against her front tooth and the way she dropped to her knees to search for the broken pieces. Advertisement It was no use, though. The tooth was shattered, leaving only a jagged stump. Almost worse, it’s had to stay that way because Rachael’s family can’t afford the cost of fixing it. "It’s $4,952," says Rachael, who has the amount memorized. Rachael’s mom, Angie Navarro, 33, is a staff support worker at OnTrack Inc., a Medford drug treatment agency. She’s steadily employed and earns enough to support Rachael and her 5-year-old brother, Kameron. But Navarro’s dental insurance doesn’t cover orthodontics or cosmetic reconstruction. Lance West, a Medford orthodontist, has agreed to reduce by half the cost of the procedure, which will have to include palate widening and braces before Rachael’s broken tooth is crowned. Still, the family has to come up with $604 just to get the four-year treatment started. Rachael will turn 16 on Dec. 25 and there’s no question what’s on her wish list. "It’s been kind of hard, but I just go day-by-day living with it until we have money to get it fixed," she says cheerfully. "It’s always been my Christmas wish." Donations for Rachael, the first subject of the Mail Tribune’s annual "Light One Candle" holiday drive, can be sent to West’s Medford office. Contributions will offset the cost of her care, said Kadie Boivin. Extra funds, if any, will be put in an account for other families, who, like the Navarros, have to postpone critical dentistry for lack of money. Send donations to Dr. Lance West, 1322 E. McAndrews Road, Suite 102, Medford, OR 97504. For more information, contact Boivin at 770-1176. For more information about "Light One Candle," contact reporter JoNel Aleccia at �My Christmas wish� ">[email protected] or at 776-4465. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s