Aura’s Top Surgery Fund

For those that this may reach who don’t know me: hi, I am Aura. :)

I am a non-binary/transmasc person from the UK, who has been living in the Netherlands for the past 10 years. These years have given me a space to breathe, away from a difficult and traumatic life back in the UK. I have found love, safety and community here but – just as importantly – I have allowed myself to interrogate my gender dysphoria and come to terms with my gender identity.

I feel sometimes, at my big age of 33, that I’m comparatively late to my peers to only be acting on this now. But I also know for myself that I first needed to survive, and now is my time to THRIVE.

I have always been at odds with the body I was born into and felt a disconnect from how people perceived me. At 16, when puberty hit late and hard, the changes in my body were too painful to accept. I first went to a plastic surgery consultation in London at the age of 17 to ask about top surgery, with little to no understanding about what gender dysphoria meant at this time. All I knew was that my body wasn’t my body and that it needed to change. I was dismissed as confused and, I suppose, I wasn’t fully at a point of understanding this myself then. It’s difficult and sad for me to think about, having endured the past years with this constant discomfort. At the same time, I am now finding happiness in the decision to move forward with top surgery because I know it will elevate so much of the discomfort I face every day.

Top surgery will not only allow me to feel more comfortable in my body, it will elevate the mental load that comes with the constant analysis of how I am being perceived by others. I think the barrier I come across with transitioning to where I want to be has been so hard because I know realistically how feminine I look to myself and others in my current body. With the ability to change this, I see it opening up a space for me to align my own self with my appearance – and I know how much relief this will bring me.

As many of you will know, this kind of surgery is very difficult to access through health insurance. In addition, the idea of waiting 3+ years for something that may not happen brings too much stress and sadness, and I truly feel now is the time I need to do this for myself. I cannot afford the high costs of private surgery myself, which is why I have to bring this to a crowdfunding campaign and need to ask for your help.

The Top surgery will cost up to €14,000, depending on the amount of time it will take in theatre. With a relatively large cup size for my frame they have already estimated it will be on this high end. The clinic I will visit is in London, as this is where I have found a surgeon that I trust and where the result in scarring is clean and precise. For such an essential operation, I want and need to know I will be happy with the result.

My crowdfunding goal is to raise €14,500 in order to cover all my costs. All fundraising above the cost of surgery will go towards travel for myself and someone to support me while I have limited movement, accommodation during recovery and the necessary scar treatments, which are not included in surgery costs.

I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this and thank you for any donation that is possible.

Kissy Kiss

Aura