Donation protected
Quick question... does this fund make me look flat?
Hey, I'm Ender Collins, I'm a 19 year old trans guy from WY, and I'm raising money for my top surgery. I was assigned female at birth, but since I was little, I knew something was up, and that I wasn't a girl like everyone said I was. I freely expressed myself through clothing until I was 11 years old - that's when I started realizing that, even though I wasn't a girl, I was going to go through female puberty, and that wasn't going to change. I told myself to suck it up, get over it, and start getting used to the fact that I have to be a girl. Thus began my five year repression period. I was depressed, constantly anxious, and everything felt wrong. (This was also the height of my repressive eating disorder.) When I was a freshman in high school, I cut myself loose, said enough was enough, and started dressing comfortably again. Eventually, I found terms and identities, people tied to those identities, and I learned that it was okay if I really wasn't what everyone said I was. When I turned sixteen and started my sophomore year of high school, I accepted the fact that I was trans, finally cut my hair, and when I turned seventeen, I came out to the world. I've been living out, loud, and proud for two years, now, and I couldn't be happier!
Well... actually... I could be happier.
You see, since I wasn't on hormone blockers early in my teen years, I went through female puberty. My chest isn't exactly as flat as I wish it could be, and I've done everything I could to flatten it out. I've been binding close to every day for about four to nine hours a day for a year and a half, now, (even though I received and started wearing my first binder when I was sixteen) which has taken a serious toll on my back and ribcage. Unfortunately, there are a couple ribs on my right side that have warped, due to binding, as well as slouching on days I don't bind. I cannot handle not wearing a binder to work every day, as I get called a girl enough, as it is. I'm outrageously uncomfortable wearing anything less than a hoodie when I'm wearing an undergarment other than a binder, and usually sleep with a few blankets on me, no matter how hot it gets at night. I shower with my eyes closed, I can't get dressed if I can see my chest... This takes a serious toll on my mental health.
However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am finally getting top surgery to flatten and masculinize my chest in May of 2019!! I took a year off between my senior year of high school and my first year of college so I could work hard and earn my chest. The good news is, I've almost made half of my total goal, which is $12,000! (That includes the cost of surgery, the rough cost of plane tickets to Fort Lauderdale, FL and back home, and the cost for our stay at a nearby hotel/Air BNB/medical facility.) So... why am I creating this fundraiser, if I've already reached half of my goal?
Though I'm going to be very close to the entire amount in March, the surgery center requires full payment a month before operation, and I'm going to need help with the final bit. I'm mainly worried about the costs for the plane tickets and our twelve day stay in Florida. So, here's where the asking comes into play. Please, don't donate anymore than you can afford, and don't feel bad if you can't give anything. My parents and I just thought it would be a great idea to start this fundraiser to help us pay for a little bit of this whole thing. If you can, please contribute and be part of my journey! Every donation counts, every little bit helps, and I am grateful for anything you are able to do.
Hey, I'm Ender Collins, I'm a 19 year old trans guy from WY, and I'm raising money for my top surgery. I was assigned female at birth, but since I was little, I knew something was up, and that I wasn't a girl like everyone said I was. I freely expressed myself through clothing until I was 11 years old - that's when I started realizing that, even though I wasn't a girl, I was going to go through female puberty, and that wasn't going to change. I told myself to suck it up, get over it, and start getting used to the fact that I have to be a girl. Thus began my five year repression period. I was depressed, constantly anxious, and everything felt wrong. (This was also the height of my repressive eating disorder.) When I was a freshman in high school, I cut myself loose, said enough was enough, and started dressing comfortably again. Eventually, I found terms and identities, people tied to those identities, and I learned that it was okay if I really wasn't what everyone said I was. When I turned sixteen and started my sophomore year of high school, I accepted the fact that I was trans, finally cut my hair, and when I turned seventeen, I came out to the world. I've been living out, loud, and proud for two years, now, and I couldn't be happier!
Well... actually... I could be happier.
You see, since I wasn't on hormone blockers early in my teen years, I went through female puberty. My chest isn't exactly as flat as I wish it could be, and I've done everything I could to flatten it out. I've been binding close to every day for about four to nine hours a day for a year and a half, now, (even though I received and started wearing my first binder when I was sixteen) which has taken a serious toll on my back and ribcage. Unfortunately, there are a couple ribs on my right side that have warped, due to binding, as well as slouching on days I don't bind. I cannot handle not wearing a binder to work every day, as I get called a girl enough, as it is. I'm outrageously uncomfortable wearing anything less than a hoodie when I'm wearing an undergarment other than a binder, and usually sleep with a few blankets on me, no matter how hot it gets at night. I shower with my eyes closed, I can't get dressed if I can see my chest... This takes a serious toll on my mental health.
However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am finally getting top surgery to flatten and masculinize my chest in May of 2019!! I took a year off between my senior year of high school and my first year of college so I could work hard and earn my chest. The good news is, I've almost made half of my total goal, which is $12,000! (That includes the cost of surgery, the rough cost of plane tickets to Fort Lauderdale, FL and back home, and the cost for our stay at a nearby hotel/Air BNB/medical facility.) So... why am I creating this fundraiser, if I've already reached half of my goal?
Though I'm going to be very close to the entire amount in March, the surgery center requires full payment a month before operation, and I'm going to need help with the final bit. I'm mainly worried about the costs for the plane tickets and our twelve day stay in Florida. So, here's where the asking comes into play. Please, don't donate anymore than you can afford, and don't feel bad if you can't give anything. My parents and I just thought it would be a great idea to start this fundraiser to help us pay for a little bit of this whole thing. If you can, please contribute and be part of my journey! Every donation counts, every little bit helps, and I am grateful for anything you are able to do.
Organizer
Ender Collins
Organizer
Casper, WY