Welcome to my fundraising page! I humbly ask you to donate whatever amount you may to my journey toward living authentically. Let me share with you a bit of my story. My name is Alec and I was born assigned female at birth. I lived 24 years of my life trying to live comfortably while pretending to be a woman. I was unhappy and would always cringe looking at myself. I always have struggled with anxiety and depression to where it has become my baseline and what I know. It got to a point where I could not get out of bed to eat and work a job. While writing about my story and identities one day, it clicked with me that my gender was a great source of distress and that overwhelming self-consciousness I felt was actually dysphoria. When I had this epiphany, I could no longer repress my truth. I realized that throughout my childhood and into my young adulthood, I had spent as much of my time as possible dissociating by playing games where I “pretended” I was a boy. I have always felt alone and sought out meaning, purpose and a desire to feel fulfilled. After I admitted to those closest to me and the rest of the world who I was, I felt freed. I became lighter and soon felt I was able to become in tune with myself. When I started socially and medically transitioning, my entire life was transformed. Less than 5 years ago I had no motivation, little life goals, I was embarrassed by my own image, depressed and riddled with anxiety. Within 4 years, I was able to obtain a degree and certificate and begin a career for myself. Now that I know what happiness looks like, I could not go back to misery. I have been extremely lucky to have an amazing support system and been able to afford my HRT, top surgery (2021) and hysterectomy (2022). Last May (2022), I had a consultation for phalloplasty (bottom surgery) as the next step in my transition. This surgery is completed in 3 stages. I am waiting on my stage 1 date which is estimated to be mid-late 2024 performed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. As I prepare for this, I have been undergoing electrolysis on my left forearm (donor site) every 2-3 weeks (which is medically necessary) for the past year which is also costly. Following the surgery, I will be in the hospital for several days and will need to live within an hour radius of the hospital for 6 weeks. This will be a huge expense as I will be out of work and need to cover multiple bills with little income. My dysphoria is very extreme and has been a significant source of distress in my everyday life. I have left public bathrooms multiple times and have felt as though something was missing for far too long. This surgery will allow me to feel complete and help alleviate the dysphoria and discomfort in my life. Thank you in advance for whatever you can contribute - every penny and dollar helps me out and I appreciate you!