Hello friends, family and everyone else!

My name is Elysia and I am a trans person who has been on a life journey towards understanding who I am and how to express how I feel on the inside to the outside world.

It's been many years of self discovery followed by many years of building the acceptance and confidence to finally be my most authentic self.

The next important step in my journey is to align my inside to my out and for me that is to now have top surgery. The total cost of the procedure, which will take place in July and is estimated to be $15,000.

I am reaching out to my community to ask for support in helping me raise the funds to assist me in undergoing this life-changing surgery. Any contribution you can make, no matter how small, will make the biggest difference to me!

Those who know me, know I dislike being in the spotlight but unfortunately, the cost of surgery is quite high and as a result, I am turning to my friends, family, community and the generosity of others for finacial help.

Since I was a child my behaviour, movement and speech have never been one of a “girl” and I have always been floating somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of gender, even if I wasn't able to verbalize it in the past.

As the world's understanding towards gender diversity has evolved, so has mine, and I finally have the terminology to describe myself as they/them.

I am incredibly grateful for any support you can provide, whether it be a financial donation or simply sharing this with others who might be able to help.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for supporting me with this process, which has been an extremely long and hard one.

Sadly trans youth have the highest suicide rates among all demographics and need as much support as they can get. Beyond surgery, I look forward to sharing my story, to further promote awareness of trans issues in our community and increased physical and social safety for young trans people.

With gratitude,

Elysia