Please help me pay for sex reassignment
Donation protected
Hi friends! I am asking for help because I need to have Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS).
I'll explain: Although I was assigned male at birth and was born with what is conventionally considered to be a male sexual organ, I have known since a very young age that I am not a man.
At the time of fifth and sixth grade, it became clear to me that as my classmates were going through puberty, something was not right with me. I did not feel male. I did not express myself as male. I did not want to be male. I have always been quite sure I am a woman!
Unfortunately, I grew up at a time marked by severe homophobia and transphobia in our society. The AIDS crisis was at its height and trans women like me were commonly the butts of jokes in movies and television shows. As a result, I was regularly harassed and assaulted by my classmates and even by some adults for looking like and behaving like a girl. I learned a lesson very early: it is not ok to be myself. This self-denial has caused me so much pain that no matter what changes I make, I will always have a distant memory of despair that I never want to feel again.
The pain I felt being in the wrong body was so bad and unrelenting that I eventually made the decision to medically transition. It is the healthiest decision I have ever made, and I am more content now than I have ever been.
For medical care, I have undergone Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). This is a procedure in which any testosterone my body produces is suppressed and estrogen instead becomes my primary sex hormone.
As a result of HRT, I appear more traditionally as a woman and feel more at home in my body. I am read as a woman most everywhere I go, and I don't think I can express how wonderful it feels to be "normal."
Unfortunately, my body is still not quite what it should be. Looking in the mirror causes me anxiety, and I will never truly feel what it is like to be me until I undergo vaginoplasty or SRS. I am finally going to have a vagina!
For surgery I have decided to work with Cecile Unger at the Cleveland Clinic. I have had a consultation with her and her team, and it seems we are equally pleased to have met one another. Her mission is to regularize trans healthcare in an academic hospital setting. Her work is wonderful and she has guaranteed me a fully functioning vagina that will look as if I were born with it. She believes that I am a perfect candidate for the operation and hopes to have me in for surgery within a year.
While my insurance will cover the surgery itself, there are many things insurance will not cover. This is why I need your help.
I make about $15/hour and live paycheck to paycheck. I need at least $2,500 to pay for a hotel near the hospital since Dr. Unger requires an extended stay to monitor patients.
Even though I have already met with a mental health professional who wrote me a letter of recommendation for surgery, I need to schedule appointments with more mental health professionals for insurance purposes and because Dr. Unger believes it is very important to have help for such a major, stressful surgery.
Prior to the surgery, I must undergo regular electrolysis treatments to remove the hair from my genital area. These are expensive treatments that require some traveling.
Finally, there is a long recovery time after SRS, and I am anticipating that I am going to need some extra money to get by.
I appreciate any assistance you can give. Thank you so much!
Alyssa
I'll explain: Although I was assigned male at birth and was born with what is conventionally considered to be a male sexual organ, I have known since a very young age that I am not a man.
At the time of fifth and sixth grade, it became clear to me that as my classmates were going through puberty, something was not right with me. I did not feel male. I did not express myself as male. I did not want to be male. I have always been quite sure I am a woman!
Unfortunately, I grew up at a time marked by severe homophobia and transphobia in our society. The AIDS crisis was at its height and trans women like me were commonly the butts of jokes in movies and television shows. As a result, I was regularly harassed and assaulted by my classmates and even by some adults for looking like and behaving like a girl. I learned a lesson very early: it is not ok to be myself. This self-denial has caused me so much pain that no matter what changes I make, I will always have a distant memory of despair that I never want to feel again.
The pain I felt being in the wrong body was so bad and unrelenting that I eventually made the decision to medically transition. It is the healthiest decision I have ever made, and I am more content now than I have ever been.
For medical care, I have undergone Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). This is a procedure in which any testosterone my body produces is suppressed and estrogen instead becomes my primary sex hormone.
As a result of HRT, I appear more traditionally as a woman and feel more at home in my body. I am read as a woman most everywhere I go, and I don't think I can express how wonderful it feels to be "normal."
Unfortunately, my body is still not quite what it should be. Looking in the mirror causes me anxiety, and I will never truly feel what it is like to be me until I undergo vaginoplasty or SRS. I am finally going to have a vagina!
For surgery I have decided to work with Cecile Unger at the Cleveland Clinic. I have had a consultation with her and her team, and it seems we are equally pleased to have met one another. Her mission is to regularize trans healthcare in an academic hospital setting. Her work is wonderful and she has guaranteed me a fully functioning vagina that will look as if I were born with it. She believes that I am a perfect candidate for the operation and hopes to have me in for surgery within a year.
While my insurance will cover the surgery itself, there are many things insurance will not cover. This is why I need your help.
I make about $15/hour and live paycheck to paycheck. I need at least $2,500 to pay for a hotel near the hospital since Dr. Unger requires an extended stay to monitor patients.
Even though I have already met with a mental health professional who wrote me a letter of recommendation for surgery, I need to schedule appointments with more mental health professionals for insurance purposes and because Dr. Unger believes it is very important to have help for such a major, stressful surgery.
Prior to the surgery, I must undergo regular electrolysis treatments to remove the hair from my genital area. These are expensive treatments that require some traveling.
Finally, there is a long recovery time after SRS, and I am anticipating that I am going to need some extra money to get by.
I appreciate any assistance you can give. Thank you so much!
Alyssa
Organizer
Alyssa Green
Organizer
Ithaca, NY