Hi, I'm Lorien. I am a 41-year-old trans woman currently in the first year of my gender transition, and I've quickly realized that this process is an extremely expensive one. One of the biggest sources of dysphoria for me is the fact that I've lost much of my hair. Unfortunately people in my mother's side of the family who are assigned male at birth tend to lose their hair early, and I began to lose mine in my 20s.

In order to restore it, I need to undergo a medical procedure which will remove hair roots from part of my head and transplant them to the areas where hair is currently missing. This procedure isn't covered by my insurance, so I will have to pay for it entirely out of pocket. It costs $6,000, and requires a deposit of $1,500 before I can even undergo the surgery.

Waiting this long to accept myself as trans and as a woman has been one of the deepest regrets in my life, especially since it has resulted in needing procedures like this that I wouldn't have otherwise required. But I absolutely need this procedure in order to survive. The dysphoria I deal with on a daily basis is intolerable, and if I don't eventually alleviate it through transitioning, I know myself well enough to confidently say I won't make it to the end of my natural life.

So this is going to happen regardless, even if it sends me even deeper into debt than I already am. Despite my insurance company's opinion, this is a medically necessary procedure. Donating to this fundraiser will help me immensely in financial terms and will mean that I can get rid of a major source of dysphoria much earlier than I otherwise could.

I sincerely appreciate anything you can give. If you can't afford to give anything, please consider sharing this with friends and family. Thank you so much for taking the time to read, and to donate.