Boob-free by 2023! (Edi's top surgery fundraiser)

Hello friends + more,

 

I am fundraising for my top surgery in April 2022!

 

For anyone who's seeing this who doesn't know who I am, I'm Edi. I am a non-binary person based in Essex who works part-time supporting people with their community organising. Before the pandemic I did a lot of community, creative and freelance work, including lots of photography, but I got covid and never got better so now I'm navigating a new quieter life of chronic illness management.

 

Being chronically ill and trans is an interesting exercise in having a body. There are so many things out of my control so much of the time. But I've thought a lot about the fact that it's about time to do something I've wanted for a long time that is very much in my control and would bring me heaps of joy - I've never wanted my chest and I reckon it's about time to leave it behind.

 

Trans healthcare in the UK is a mess - the choice for trans people is to either remain on an NHS waitlist for many years just to get a first consultation, or pay privately for care. I am on one of those waitlists, but I don't want to wait any longer than I have to get what I need. By the current projections, I wouldn't even have my first consultation until my 30s.

 

I always imagined that by the time I got everything ready to pursue top surgery I'd run portrait days in a studio to raise the money to cover it - but long covid now means this is an impossibility for the foreseeable future. I've saved up and paid for my referrals and for the next steps I've done the maths... the time it would take for me to raise this much money through savings from the limited work I've been able to do would be maybe even longer than the time I'd have to wait for the procedure on the NHS. A lot of years. So I'm asking for your help! Every donation chips away at the time I'd otherwise have to wait to get to where I want to be.

Love, solidarity, and a big hug.

E

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