I don't know that I've ever received a 4,300-word e-mail before last night. That's when a neighborhood resident sent in an opus plea from her sister, who needs medical and insurance help for her 3-year-old son, Hunter.

Because the message is so lengthy, I'll try to summarize the boy's plight: Born premature, the boy now suffers from an undiagnosed condition affecting his teeth. He's gone through multiple surgeries, but so far, nothing's worked.

As his mother put it, "The only analogy I have to describe what is happening to all his teeth is the following: Take a block of cheese. Slowly take a cheese grater and scrape off a tiny bit of cheese each time showing all the different layers of the cheese. Over a period of time, there is nothing left of the cheese block. This is how his teeth are."

Neither doctors or dentists have been able to identify the problem nor offer a treatment protocol. The boy's in constant pain, barely able to eat. The family's insurance resources also are dwindling.

The family seeks a medical or dental professional who can figure out the problem before the boy suffers through more pain and eating disorders. Anyone who might be able to help can e-mail the sister or Hunter's mother.

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