CHICKASHA - A teenage girl’s selfless Christmas wish has come true.

Rather than gifts for herself, 17-year-old Tiffany Daniel of Chickasha asked for something special for her mother that would not only ease her mother’s pain, but also had the potential to change her life.

In a letter to the Harvest Baptist Church Christmas Wish Project, Daniel wrote, “I’m writing this letter to try and get my mom help on her teeth...she has really bad teeth...so this Christmas I wish my mom could get her teeth pulled.”

On Tuesday, May 6, long after Christmas had come and gone, Tiffany’s wish came true - and then some.

Thanks to Chickasha dentist, Dr. Mark Mettry, and denturist, John Gentry, Tiffany’s mother LaDonna Daniel not only had her few remaining teeth removed, she is now the proud owner of a new set of dentures and a new smile.

Mettry began work on Daniel in January of this year, pulling her last 11 teeth.

“It would be nice to get her a set of dentures,” mused Orvie Mayall, a member of Mettry’s staff.

Coincidentally, John Gentry, a denturist for 33 years, walked into the office at that moment.

Mettry seized the opportunity.

“Here’s your chance to be a big shot. Want to make a set of free dentures?” he asked Gentry, who said yes.

“After I took the teeth out, I did surgery to accommodate the dentures, then we got back to making the dentures. It wasn’t just me, though. The whole office staff accomplished the goal,” Mettry said.

Daniel started losing her teeth when she was 17 years old, a problem that she says runs in her family.

“I was having digestive problems, headaches, vision problems and bad feelings, and it was hard to smile. I told myself ‘I’m not the only one in the world going through this and I’ve got to continue living,’” she said. “I was really relieved and happy and thankful to my daughter. Some kids don’t think about their parents. I was really scared - I’m a big coward on a lot of things - but I was ready for this.”

Tiffany, who read about Harvest Baptist Church’s Christmas Wish Project in the newspaper, decided to write and see if someone could help her mother.

“I got a call from Amy (Willoughby), and she said they were going to help my mom. When I told her she had a dentist appointment, I was happy to see her smile. I care a lot for my mom and I’d seen how hard it was for her to eat, plus the digestive problems and constant headaches.”

Today, LaDonna is looking forward to getting a job to help support her family and to supplement her disabled husband’s Social Security.

“I think my teeth were what kept me from having the energy to work,” she said. “But now I’ll be looking for a job.”

Amy Willoughby, who is one of the founders of the Christmas Wish Project in Chickasha, is excited about LaDonna’s good fortune.

“This is one of the neatest things so far. I did not expect in any way that they would volunteer to do this,” she said. “I am very happy about the way it all turned out.”

The Christmas Wish Project started in 2005, with 15 letters received the first year, mostly from single mothers asking for Christmas gifts for their children. In 2006 and 2007, the organization received 50 and 55 letters respectively. All donations to the project are gladly accepted and appreciated.