Is Anyone Still Listening?

Hello again,

I wasn't planning on posting another update quite so soon, but after reflecting on my previous one, I feel I need to be brutally honest.

I'm not particularly impressed.

In my last update, I deliberately put the ball in your court.

I asked a simple question. If you genuinely believed this cause deserved to go further, and if you were serious about exploring the possibility of a more coordinated effort for accountability and change, then I invited you to get in touch with me on the email address I provided in my last update.

Not next year.

Not "one day."

Now.

Unfortunately, as far as I can tell... nobody did.

That genuinely surprised me.

So I have to ask: what on earth is going on?

Do people actually read these updates... or am I just talking to myself?

Sometimes it feels as though people sign the petition, perhaps leave a supportive comment... and then quietly disappear.

If that's the case, I find it incredibly disappointing.

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm definitely not criticising people who are struggling. I know first-hand how exhausting TMJ and other health problems can be, and I know many people are dealing with pain, financial pressures and mental exhaustion. I have absolutely no issue with people putting their health first.

But there is a difference between being unable to contribute and simply disengaging altogether.

If we genuinely believe the current situation is unacceptable, then surely we all have to ask ourselves what comes next.

Because petitions, on their own, rarely change systems.

They start conversations.

Real change usually requires people to stay engaged after they have signed their name.

I also have to admit something else has been playing on my mind.

For quite some time, the petition was steadily gaining support. Then, almost out of nowhere, everything seemed to plateau.

Maybe there's a perfectly ordinary explanation for that.

Maybe interest has naturally slowed.

Maybe it's just the way online petitions work.

...Or perhaps... my suspicious mind is working overtime.

Either way, I cannot help feeling that we've barely scratched the surface.

There are surely far more than a thousand people in the UK... let alone across the world - whose lives have been turned upside down by TMJD, orthodontic negligence, dental treatment that went wrong, bite problems, chronic facial pain or the knock-on effects these conditions can have on posture, confidence and quality of life.

That is why I struggle to believe this is as far as the conversation can go.

What disappoints me the most is that we often complain and say the system doesn't listen, that patients are dismissed... that nothing changes and that enough is enough.

Yet meaningful change has never happened simply because people agreed with one another.

It happens because people are prepared to stay involved.

Last time, I said I wasn't looking for spectators.

I meant it.

I'm still not. 

I'm not asking anyone to devote every waking hour to this cause, nor am I expecting people to carry the weight on their own.

But if we genuinely want something to change, then we all have to accept that somebody has to take the next step.

It cannot always be somebody else.

I've spent years going back and forth... trying to keep this conversation alive because I genuinely believe patients deserve better.

I'm still here.

The question is...

where is everyone else?

If this petition is simply going to become another page on the internet where people click "sign", nod in agreement and then move on with their lives, then let's at least be honest about that.

However, if there are people reading this who genuinely believe enough is enough, then I would once again encourage you to get in touch.

Not because I think I have all the answers.

I don't.

Not because I think I'm some kind of leader.

I'm certainly not.

But because meaningful change has always started with ordinary people deciding that they are no longer prepared to accept the status quo.

The invitation remains open.

If you genuinely care about these issues and want to help turn frustration into something constructive, I'd be pleased to hear from you.

Otherwise, I can't help but wonder whether we're allowing an opportunity to slip away.

As always, thank you to everyone who has supported this petition and taken the time to read these updates.

Take care.

Lawrence