Hard Luck Gay Street Performer Now Has Something To Smile About

LONG BEACH, CA, May 26, 2011 (Press-News.org) His life reads like a Dickens novel. Mark Morris is a 46-year-old street performer who ran away from home at 6 to escape an abusive childhood, his high school years were marred by near-constant harassment from bullies, his escape to Key West at 16 led to a stint in the sex trade followed by a diagnosis of HIV one year later and his first "romantic" relationship became so abusive that many of bones were broken and teeth shattered. Despite the hardships, it's hard to keep the West Hollywood resident down for long and just to make sure that he keeps smiling, enter Michael Fulbright, DDS of Aesthetic Edge in Redondo Beach. The noted cosmetic dentist was so moved by Morris' story that he is donating a complete dental makeover.

"Mark has had to endure a life of near constant struggle unlike any I've heard before, but he has remarkable resilience and a remarkably positive outlook on life," said Fulbright. "It's an honor to donate my services to help him as he enters a new, more hopeful chapter of his life."

Today, Morris is in a healthy relationship with his supportive husband, Larry, whom he married in 2008. He writes poetry (one of his poems, "Sun-Clouded Memories" even won the Editor's Choice Award from The National Library of Poetry), is shopping his autobiography, "Looking for Love under Land Mines" to various publishers, and sings and plays guitar on the streets of Hollywood.

"I so appreciate Dr. Fulbright's compassion and generosity," said Morris. "Getting my smile back will help me restore my confidence, which has been a bit shaky these past few years. I enjoy playing for the people so having a good smile will help brighten up the lives of my audiences. More importantly, my new smile symbolizes the hope and dreams that lay ahead for me."

Fulbright learned about Morris through Give Back A Smile, a nonprofit that helps fulfill the needs of those in need of dental work through its network of philanthropically minded dentists. Fulbright has performed dozens of pro bono cases like Morris'.