Begone, boobs!

Charlie Taylor organisiert diese Spendenaktion.

Spende geschützt

Hey, I'm Charlie. I use they/them pronouns, and I have been out as trans non binary for the last 5 ish years.

I have been saving for top surgery for the entirety of these years, as my chest has always made me feel uncomfortable- even before I knew why. When my chest started growing in my early teens I felt strange and uncomfortable and wrong. I've never gotten used to it and as I got older I just started to avoid mirrors and started wearing massive t shirts to cover it all up so I don't have to look at my body/be looked at.

Things I would really love to be able to do-

Look at myself in the mirror and not feel sad.
Go out when it's hot and be able to wear clothes that are suitable for the weather instead of covering everything up.
Wear clothes that make me feel good and present my personality rather than throwing on whatever makes me feel more invisible
Start going to the gym, and start running, and not have to wear sports bras that make me painfully aware of the situation on my chest.
Not be in pain. Unfortunately I've got quite a large chest size that means it's really difficult and painful to use binders/trans tape- I have a disability (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder) that makes my skin tear really easily and things dislocate so I can't bind due to things popping out of place, massive bruising and skin tearing if I use tape.
Go swimming or to the beach bare chested, comfortable in my own body- not feeling sick when people look at me and clock me as a AFAB (assigned female at birth) because of the glaringly obvious chest.
Get married to my partner and have photos taken that I can look at and feel joy when I see myself- not see a body that isn't who I am

Costs- I am looking to raise £5k. I have spent the last 2 years saving as much as I can and have managed to save £6k myself. Top surgery in the UK costs between £7,000-9,000, and then there are consultation appointments, referrals and aftercare- as well as time off of work for healing. Because of the size of my chest, I will need a double incision mastectomy which costs closer to the higher end of the scale due to the surgery being a little trickier.

The money I am looking to raise will cover a part of the top surgery, my consultation with surgeons (roughly £250-450 per consultation), money to cover my rent, food and the 4-6 weeks I need off of work to recover physically, an appointment with a gender clinic to diagnose me with gender dysphoria (I will have been on the waiting list for an appointment with the Gender Identity Clinic for 2 years this October, and I still haven't even had my first appointment- just a letter to say I'm on the list. The approximate waiting time is 5-6 years on the NHS.)

I have looked into getting my surgery abroad, as I know it would be cheaper- however after alot of consideration I have decided to get my surgery in the UK. This is because of my Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome- I need a specialist who is aware of my disability and takes it into consideration - my body heals differently and I am more prone to scarring/longer healing time/skin tearing.

As well as this page I would also like to organise a music night to fundraise. I will use this page as the cornerstone for that to build some visibility prior to the event. This will likely be held in the Spring 2025 as I am hoping I will have saved a little more then, so I have enough to cover anything that goes wrong, accommodation and travel to and from the surgery.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this- it took me ages to write and I was really nervous to put myself out there- letting people into my personal life is really not something that I find easy. Going public with such a sensitive subject for me is really scary. I feel awkward drawing a spotlight on my life but I feel this is the best way to get me where I need to be- another 5 years of this doesn't look fun, or good for my brain.

Please help me become myself and I promise I'll be much more fun- I'll have so much more energy to run around and do good things, get back into hobbies, be social again. Also I would really like to sleep without laying on my boobs when I turn over.

If you can donate anything, I thank you forever.