In 2012, Evan Hill was a 12-year-old boy living in Christchurch, New Zealand. While he was known as a friendly and kindhearted child, Evan's physical appearance made him the victim of relentless taunting and teasing.
Evan was born with two incredibly large front teeth that made it difficult for him to speak and close his mouth. One orthodontist said it was the worst case he has seen in 25 years.
Kids at school called him "rabbit kid" and constantly mocked him because of his buck teeth. His mom, Barbara, was absolutely crushed to see her son in so much physical and emotional pain.
But fixing Evan's teeth would require upwards of $12,000. And after the Hill family suffered a string of deaths and a devastating earthquake impacted their home, they simply couldn't afford it.
That's when Evan made an appearance on a current affairs show based in New Zealand. He shared his story about the bullying he'd faced and his family's hardships.
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The Hill family never expected what was about to happen…
By the time Evan Hill was 12, he was known to his peers as the "rabbit kid."
The little boy from Christchurch, New Zealand, was born with large buck teeth and an overbite so severe he couldn't close his mouth or speak properly.
Sadly, Evan was the butt of cruel jokes at school despite the fact he was friendly and kind.
Orthodontist Rob Sluiter described Evan's buck teeth as one of the worst cases he had seen in 25 years.
The upper jaw is supposed to sit at a 2-degree tilt; Evan's was on a 12-degree angle. Also, there was a 2-centimeter gap between his top and bottom teeth.
The buck teeth were so massive that it cost upwards of $12,000 to fix — but Evan's family was stuck in a financial rut.
A costly earthquake had recently impacted Evan's home in Christchurch. And the single wage family lost the car needed to take Evan to dental appointments.
In New Zealand, basic dental treatment is free to patients under the age of 18.
However, Evan was not eligible, since he required much more advanced dental work.
Evan's heartbroken mom, Barbara, told Newshub that her family considered mortgaging their house to pay for his dental expenses.
But before they lost all hope, Evan appeared on Campbell Live, a news show in New Zealand.
After sharing his story with the scores of viewers at home, his life unexpectedly changed in an instant.
The response was overwhelming. People from Evan’s community and all across New Zealand responded to Evan's TV segment with selfless donations.
It wasn't long before $100,000 had been raised!
Barbara was absolutely blown away by the generosity of strangers.
Finally, Evan got the treatment he so desperately needed.
Part of the money was also used to buy a car for the Hill family.
The leftover donations went into a trust for other kids in need of dental work that their families cannot afford.
Five years later, Evan had undergone extensive dental work, and his braces were finally removed.
For the first time ever, this amazing kid got his dream smile… all thanks to the kindness of strangers.
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