Help Aurora Undergo Gender Affirming Surgeries

Hey there!

My name is Aurora McGowan and I am a 25-year-old-transgender woman. I began my transition in rural, Appalachian Pennsylvania at the age of 15 years old and I now live in Connecticut with my three cat-children and partner of 4 years.

After coming out to my mother in the fall of 2015, I sought out youth-friendly gender care (therapy, puberty blockers, hormones) and began to privately begin my transition at home. I am so eternally grateful for my mother's support throughout the past decade - mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially. It made my transition occur at an age where male puberty did not get to do its entire toll on my physical and mental health. I am eternally grateful for that, but even just a few years experiencing male puberty took a toll on the dysphoria I experience when I see myself.

Now it has been almost 10 years since I began transitioning and I have left rural Appalachia for New England. In New England, I have made great strides in my womanhood and artistic career - I have created a support system of my partner, friends, drag family, and biological family that I have never had before. This support system makes me feel finally ready to take these final steps in my transition to be the woman I was born to become.

In April of this year, I had my bottom surgery consultation with Dr. Rachel Bluebond-Langner in New York. This surgery has been the surgery on my mind since day 1 of my transition; it was a goal I knew I wanted from the beginning.

I waited for over two years for the consultation for my bottom surgery, I am still awaiting a surgery date, but I expect it to be between April and October of next year.

Whilst waiting for my bottom surgery consultation, I watched a close friend go through facial feminization surgery (FFS). I was privileged to be able to see her open up and feel more comfortable and secure in her day to day existence from this surgery. It was truly a beautiful experience.

I scheduled an FFS consultation at Yale with Dr. Mikeal Alperovich last summer, and it occurs at the end of next month on June 23. This surgery is, again, one that I had considered from early on in my transition. Even though I began transitioning rather young, it didn't save me from of the effects of a testosteronized puberty, like an adams apple.

Thankfully, surgery is a viable option to address the dysphoria that I see when I look in the mirror. I expect my surgery to be booked somewhere between December of this year through June of next year.

As you can see, these surgeries are going to line up close together. Meaning once I am mostly healed from one surgery, I could be going back to the hospital for another major surgery and lengthy healing time.

I am grateful that this is something I can do given my living situation with my partner, but there are still so many costs associated with both of these surgeries. I am purposefully trying to get them scheduled in the same insurance deductible year in order to make these surgeries more affordable.

My yearly out-of-pocket maximum is $6,500 - meaning if both surgeries are in the same deductible year, the second will be completely covered by my insurance after paying that amount.

Unfortunately, there are many other costs associated with surgery. For bottom surgery, I am needing to receive permanent hair removal (electrolysis) in the surgical area. Due to the timeline (and my sensitivity to pain), I am seeking local anesthesia-assisted marathon electrolysis. This increases the costs of electrolysis significantly.

During recovery for bottom surgery, I must stay within 45 minutes of New York City, meaning I need to seek out an extended stay or airbnb for 3 weeks. This is going to be a large cost; looking around the area from a similar time frame shows costs falling between $2,000-$3,000 for the amenities needed for surgery recovery.

Some of these costs will be able to be reimbursed in part, bring the cost down, but the costs of surgery, pre-op care, and post-op care are very daunting. Every dollar that I receive I am eternally grateful and will be going directly towards the costs for the gender affirming surgery - whether that be travel, surgery fees, hospital fees, electrolysis, recovery costs, etc.

I am so excited (and even impatient) to feel aligned in both body and mind and your donations help directly with achieving that, so thank you very much.

Aurora