Rosemarie's Smile

Horns honk. Motorists smile and wave. The Tooth Fairy is on the job along US Highway 19 in New Port Richey, Florida! Rosemarie hasn't always been the Tooth Fairy advertising dental insurance along busy Highway 19. She started drinking at 12, doing drugs at 14; just a scared teenager trying to fit in. Her first arrest came at age 15 for stealing beer. Over the years she picked up more charges for domestic violence and battery, flying into rages when the drugs ran out. She was kicked out of Brooksville's Central High School just two weeks before graduation. By the time Rosemarie was 21 and old enough to drink in bars, she was there every night, living up to her wild reputation. "I was so desperate to be accepted, " she said. "I had to be better than everybody else at drinking." Rosemarie's wild lifestyle was spinning out of control. Once, Rosemarie filled out paperwork listing 55 different substances she had experimented with. She tried it all...marijuana, cocaine, acid, ecstasy; even freon from an air conditioner and fumes from a spray paint can. "I liked anything," Rosemarie said. "I would take my dad's blood pressure medication because it had a prescription label on it!"

The turning point came when Rosemarie gave birth to her daughter, Lisa Rose, on April 9, 2007. Rosemarie was high on "meth" when she went into labor, but somehow the feeling of her new, baby girl, being laid on her chest, stayed with her! When both mom and baby tested positive for drugs, the State Department of Children and Families stepped in and gave custody of little Lisa Rose to Rosemarie's parents.

Rosemarie has marked a lot of milestones over the past four years. Detox, rehab, group meetings, one-on-one counseling, love and encouragement from SmileFaith Foundation friends, a great job, and the knowledge that she and 4 year old daughter, Lisa Rose, would soon be together again, has given Rosemarie the power to move forward and blossom! Rosemarie's teeth were decimated due to years of drug abuse, but through SmileFaith Foundation, Inc., Rosemarie received the blessing of extensive dental care resulting in a big, new, beautiful smile! Tom Lane, Founder and President of SmileFaith says, "Rosemarie is our poster child! She has a confident, infectious smile!" Rosemarie was promoted from "Tooth Fairy" to customer service representative at Healthcare National Marketing. Motorists along US Highway 19 will always remember her as the "wand-waving, bright-smiling Tooth Fairy of New Port Richey." But the story doesn't end there. Through it all, Rosemarie discovered a vibrant faith in God. And on February 11, 2011, Rosemarie was granted permanent custody of Lisa Rose!