Taylor's Top Surgery

Hello friends,

We are seeking donations for Taylor's (they/them) top surgery. We've had a long medical journey over the past few years for both mental health issues and a new narcolepsy diagnosis. The narcolepsy resulted in severe sleep deprivation and then hospitalization, so sorting out treatment for this has been the priority over the last year. It has been difficult due to health insurance hurdles to get treatment for it but we have made a lot of progress in that regard and we are now in a place where we can start seeking gender-affirming care for them.

Currently, our health insurance does not cover the double mastectomy procedure and we just got an estimate of what it would cost after their consultation at Sibley Memorial which is roughly $84,000. Needless to say, we do not have that money and we do not qualify for financial assistance because our household income exceeds the requirements.

We are seeking funds for treatment outside of the country. We believe that this is the best option for their needs because Taylor has a long history of trauma related to healthcare access in the US. The process of getting gender-affirming treatments approved over the last few months has been traumatizing for them. Also, Taylor’s unique circumstances with needing treatment for a rare and debilitating neurological disorder has made it difficult to find an insurance option that is financially feasible for us.

Based on the experience of others we know, we think that the average cost of this procedure outside of the country will cost us roughly $15,000. We do not currently have a surgeon lined up but I think this is the minimum amount we will need for the cost of the surgery, travel, and a hotel stay during recovery.

We are also considering seeking assistance from various organizations within the US, in case the medical tourism route doesn't pan out, and those organizations request that you try to fundraise individually prior to applying for funds for gender-affirming care.

There are currently a lot of unknowns for cost but we want to start crowdfunding as soon as possible. Taylor has been struggling with gender dysphoria for a long time, on top of other mental health issues and only partially treated narcolepsy (hopefully this will change soon), so we don't want to delay this process anymore than we have to.

We do not plan to pull funds until it is time to pay for the surgery and/or costs related to the surgery such as travel and hotel stays in case we receive more funds than is necessary. This will be based chronologically so, for example, if the funds received from the last 3 donors were unnecessary we will refund those last 3 donors. I plan to update information here and adjust the funding goal as we receive more information on estimates for costs.

I adore my partner and want to see them become their full self. Please help us make that happen and we will definitely pay that love forward.

Love,

Leigh Ah & Taylor