Hi, I’m Stacy.

Founder of TMJ Hope · Marketing & Operations Executive · TMJ patient for 25+ years

I built this site because I couldn’t find a place where TMJ patients actually problem-solved together instead of just venting. So I made one.

My Story

When I was a kid, I was mauled by a dog, and my jaw joints were badly damaged. What followed was a decade of every conservative therapy you can imagine, plus 14 TMJ surgeries. Yes, fourteen. I was 15 when it started. I was 25 before I had a moment to breathe.

In 2006, I had custom bilateral TMJ total joint replacements, which is exactly as intense as it sounds. The surgery was supposed to help me open my mouth more. That’s it. As for the pain, my doctors told me I had “chronic intractable pain,” which is medical speak for “this is your life now.”

That’s my actual skull, by the way. I keep the 3-D scan on hand for parties. Great conversation starter.

But I knew, somewhere deep down, that I wasn’t destined for a life defined by pain. I just didn’t know how to get there yet.

In 2011, I hit a wall. I was exhausted. Not just from the pain, but from surviving it. I decided to stop surviving and start actually living. I made changes. A lot of changes. Some worked. Some were disasters. But slowly, things got better.

Today, I’m a marketing and operations executive at a growing business. I have a Golden Retriever named Oliver who thinks he runs the place (he’s not wrong). And I manage my TMJ. It doesn’t manage me.

I built TMJ Hope because when I was in the worst of it, I couldn’t find a community that felt real. There were medical sites, sure. But nothing from someone who actually got it, who could say “I’ve been there, and here’s what helped me.” That’s what this site is.

What You’ll Find Here

The People Behind TMJ Hope