Vyrthandi Voss, Seeking Gender-Affirming Surgery

Hello, my name is Vyrthandi Voss. I am a transgender woman, a single mother, a full-time worker, and a part-time student seeking a post-baccalaureate degree in mechanical engineering.

I'm asking for your assistance to pay for a surgery called 'facial feminization,' or FFS for short. This combination of procedures will undo the masculinizing effects to my facial structure caused by going through the wrong puberty. The areas affected include my forehead, brow ridge, nose, neck, trachea, and hairline.

I have fought hard, imploring my health insurance company to cover even one aspect of my surgery, but to no avail. I've managed to save a majority of the cost, even though I make under $24k a year. Even so, I will not be able to reach this goal on my own. I wish to have this surgery in early 2022, with this campaign fully funded by the end of December 2021.

My picture may make me appear beautiful to some, and thereby undeserving of your kindness. It's part of the reason why I've avoided asking for help for so long. But I assure you, my appearance is augmented by lighting, a complimentary camera angle, and cosmetics. My face in profile gives me away as assigned male at birth, and it pains me greatly to take pictures of my naked face.

(Pictures deleted.)

I put on makeup every day as a necessity. I never leave home with my face exposed. It's not primarily a matter of vanity, but of safety. This, followed closely by my mental health. The misalignment I feel between how I imagine myself and how I see myself in the mirror is something I've been battling for years, and I wish I could end this and get on with living a happy life.

The purpose of this surgery isn't to make me look beautiful, but simply how I would have were I born under different circumstances.

I deeply appreciate your time and your donation. Thank you so much for your help.