Evan Hill was 12 years old and had a nickname that followed him everywhere: “rabbit boy”.
He lived in Christchurch, New Zealand, and his front teeth were so large that he couldn’t even close his mouth completely. Dental care in his country is usually free, but cosmetic treatments are not subsidized. His family needed about 12.000 dollars they didn’t have, and his mother, Barbara Erickson, even considered mortgaging the house.
Then his story was featured on the television program Campbell Live, and the viewers’ response exceeded all expectations: donations topped 100.000 dollars. Orthodontist Ronald Sluiter described it as the worst case he had seen in his 25 years of practice.
Over about five years, with monthly visits, Evan’s teeth moved 15 millimeters. When his last braces were finally removed, the doctor told him: “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”