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This First Person article is the experience of Gale Uhlmann, a superintendent in Stirling, Ont. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
Most people assume I wear a mask to places like the gas station, the bank and the grocery store because of COVID. But for me, it’s something far more personal. Something I am too ashamed to reveal.
I wear it to hide the fact that I have no teeth.
I will turn 75 this July, and I’m still working — not by choice, but by necessity. Despite dedicating over 60 years of my life to the workforce, my pension is not enough for me to survive. But financial hardship is only part of my struggle. In December, I got the devastating news that I needed to have all my teeth removed.
The pain of losing my teeth was difficult enough, but what followed was even …
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