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Hello, my name is Luke (he/him). I'm a queer and disabled trans man. I'm an active member of the local trans community, an admin and mod in a local trans Discord server, and a volunteer for a non-profit helping trans folks fleeing red states relocate in Western Washington.
After years of waitlists, I finally have phalloplasty stage one scheduled for 4/30/26 and 5/15/2026 in Portland, OR at OHSU. I am asking for funds to help with the related medical costs.
Phalloplasty (getting a new dick) is a complicated surgery requiring two separate skin grafts. I will be in the hospital for 10 days, and then in lodging near the hospital for 6 weeks. It has a long recovery period with strict mobility restrictions, and I will require a full-time caregiver for basic needs and functioning in the weeks following surgery.
I am receiving federal disability benefits and am very low income. What's more, my rent will be increasing by $100 starting in April. I'm asking for support from my community and allies in order to afford what I need to recover well from this major, life changing surgery.
My Medicare should cover the surgeries and my housing for the 6 weeks post-op that I need to stay in Portland. My insurance will not cover out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Some of the expenses I'm expecting:
I've mentioned that this is a complicated surgery, and there are a lot of things I'll need post-op for wound dressings, mobility assistance, and overall healing. I put all the supplies on the post-op lists I'd been given into an Amazon cart just to see what they would cost: the total came to $324.87!
I also need money to help cover travel costs. Leading up to my surgery I'll continue to be commuting 3-4 times a week to have electrolysis (hair removal on my graph site) done at the only place my insurance is contracted with. It's a 80 mile, 2 hour roundtrip each time, which is substantial amount of gas each week. My caregiver and I will also be traveling from Seattle to Portland multiple times.
My insurance offers partial reimbursement for mileage, but with gas prices as high as they are, it's not nearly enough. I used a quick online calculator to predict that a single round trip to Portland will cost $72.80 in gas. A week of electrolysis commuting costs about the same.
Post-op, I will need healthy foods that can be easily prepared in a rental kitchen by my caregiver. I am on SNAP food benefits, which covers some food costs. However, I know from previous surgeries that it's not enough for my post-op nutrition needs: lots of protein, fresh produce, low-inflammation prepared foods, etc. At minimum, an extra $100 a month for the first 3 months after surgery will help ensure I have the food I need.
Having added up the various expenses I can expect to incur with this surgical recovery, I am humbly asking for $1,000.
Because of the scheduling, it turns out that I will wake up on my birthday with my new dick. I cannot imagine a better gift to myself than to finally get this desperately needed surgery that I've waited so long for.
For my friends and family: what I want for my birthday is donations to my surgery fund. For anyone else who wants to support trans joy: your care and support matter, now more than ever.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Even small donations are important; they add up and keep the momentum going. Sharing this fundraiser with other community members and allies also helps a lot!
Sincerely,
Luke
Note: GoFundMe takes 2.9% + $0.30 for each donation.
If you donate via my Venmo, I'll receive the full amount.