Corey's gender reassignment journey

Hello

My name is Emma and in October 2006 I gave birth to identical twin girls called Katie and Izzie. From a very early age, as soon as she could decide what to wear, Izzie dressed in boy clothes. It was like I had boy/girl twins when shopping for clothes as Katie is as girlie as you can get!!

When she was 13, Izzie told me she thought she might be a lesbian. She went through some turmoil over the next year trying to understand her gender and when she was 14 asked us to start calling her Tyler. She found this uncomfortable and decided to just "be herself as she was only 14 and had plenty of time to discover herself". She decided to have her hair cut short and started to use men's deodorant and dress all the time in boys clothes. When she was 15 we saw the GP who referred her to the Children and Young People's Gender Service. The wait was 5 years! She suffered homophobic bullying along the way which led to anxiety and depression. She also started binding her breasts which left her in pain a lot of the time.

When she left school, she went to college and obtained a Level 1 in Animal Care. She went back to do Level 2 last September but by this time her anxiety was so bad, she was struggling to leave the house and was either wearing her binder or 3 or 4 sports bras at a time, showering with clothes on etc. Her mental health really declined and she left college with a view to trying to concentrate on getting better before trying again this September.

She has known for a long time that she wants top surgery and last year did a GoFundMe asking for help with funding this which costs at least £10,000 privately. She is now on the 7 year adult waiting list for the NHS Gender Dysphoria clinic. She managed to raise enough between the GoFundMe account and my savings to pay for an initial appointment with a Gender Clinic in Harley Street (£600).

In early January this year my daughter, Izzie, became my son, Corey. He has transitioned full time and now identifies as male and uses he/him pronouns. He has changed his name by deed poll. Most of his friends and family have been supportive, and those that aren't don't matter. He understands that everybody is entitled to their opinion and beliefs but this is what he needs to do for himself and he already feels happier in himself, although still hates his breasts. I am really so very proud of him. He is much stronger than he thinks.

After filling in lots of forms and giving information about his life so far, we had the initial appointment with the Gender Clinic on 28.01.25 and a follow up appointment on 20.02.25. Corey has now been diagnosed as suffering from Gender Dysphoria and likely has done all of his life. He also suffers with body dysmorphia. He now faces a journey of surgery and hormones and will be referred to a Surgeon and an Endocrinologist. Obviously this is going to be hugely costly but I worry for his mental health if he has to wait 7 years for help on the NHS and I am asking for your help towards paying for this privately.

I work full time as a Cancer Support Worker for the NHS but it only brings in enough to cover day to day living, not much left at the end of the month! Some clinics offer payment plans for the treatment which I am willing to pursue. If we had some money to put down first, this would obviously make monthly payments more affordable and realistic for us.

If you are in a position to help, Corey and I would be really grateful.

Please help me get my boy what he needs to finally be happy in his own skin after being in turmoil for so much longer than even I can imagine.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read Corey's story and we thank you in advance for anything you can offer towards his treatment costs.

Emma