Cancer took an El Paso musician’s smile. A community rallied to restore it

Four years after undergoing extensive surgery for Stage 4 laryngeal cancer, Russ Kalman has his smile back.

“I smile at little kids again, so they’re not scared of me,” Kalman said with … well, a smile.

In preparation for his cancer surgery in April 2022, doctors removed all but nine of Kalman’s teeth. It has limited his ability to eat solid food and made him self-conscious. With limited dental insurance, Kalman couldn’t afford the thousands of dollars for the treatments he’d need for dentures…

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