Gender Affirming Surgery- Help Leah achieve her final form!

The time has come for me to attain my final form! TLDR - help a trans girl get gender-affirming surgery, and receive her undying gratitude

HELLO - "I am the Princess of all Saiyans once again!"

My name is Leah Olive and I'm a transgender woman living in WA state. I've been out since 2020 and have reached a stage in my journey where I am ready for Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) and Gender Affirming Surgery (bottom surgery). But it has become clear that the cost - even with in-network insurance coverage - will be beyond my current means. My goal has always been to achieve this under my own steam with my own resources, but sadly that will not be possible. I'm going to need some help.

THE CAMPAIGN - "Power levels are bull$#!t!"

I am hoping that a fundraiser campaign will help me achieve some of the final steps in my transition journey. Pursuing surgery was a big decision that I thought long and hard about, and I am absolutely certain that it's the right course for me. Unfortunately, even with insurance, it's going to be very expensive. It would completely drain my savings and then some. I am asking you, a friend or perhaps a stranger, for help in achieving my transition goals. In addition to my undying gratitude, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you made a huge difference in this trans girls life! <3

STORY TIME - "When you fall off that horse, you get right back up and you eat that horse!"

A little background about myself. Here it goes, I get to put myself on display for the whole internet to see! *eeek*

I'm 40 years old as of this writing. I've known ever since I was a pre-teen that something about who I was and how I presented myself was off. There was an incongruence between how I felt, how I wanted to be, and how society expected me to be. But I didn't know what it was, and I didn't have the vocabulary to describe it. I was too young to understand, and it was the 1990s, so there wasn't much representation out there for trans folks. I didn't even have home access to the internet until I was 13.

As I hit my first puberty, these feelings got more noticeable and intense. I responded by retreating inward and closing myself off from those feelings in any way I could, which only led to self-loathing and depression. As time wore on, the shame I felt got worse, and I kept finding ever more inventive ways to dissociate. Even so, by my late teens I had started occasionally wearing women's clothing in private. In those rare moments, I started to feel something that I had never felt before, a wholeness I couldn't quite articulate. But every time, shame would quickly take its place.

By my early twenties, I had falsely convinced myself it was some sort of fetish. There was no way I could be trans! However, with that denial, the depression and inward retreat got worse. It impacted every aspect of my life, especially my romantic life. It's incredibly hard to form deep and meaningful relationships with anyone when you can't be fully honest with them about who you are. Sharing my whole self with anyone was impossible; I had split myself in half. I was unhappy, unconfident, unsociable, aloof, emotionally cold and unavailable, and I felt as if I was a drag on everyone around me. On some level, I knew why. Somewhere, deep down, I understood what was going on. But I couldn't allow myself to admit it, even though I was by that time privately cross-dressing on a regular cycle of brief joy followed by unbearable shame.

It all came to a head towards the end of college. I remember distinctly the night my egg finally cracked. No one was home and I was wearing a dress and a wig. And as that familiar joy began to well up inside me, instead of pushing it away, I did something different. I leaned into it. I let the joy overtake me. I swam in it and shut out the rest of the world. For the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to imagine. To dream of what was possible. It was overwhelming, and it’s no exaggeration to say that I had never felt anything like it. In a flash, I finally understood who I was, as clear as the first light of dawn breaking through twilight. With tears welling in my eyes I quietly whispered to myself in the mirror, "I'm trans...."

That feeling didn't last though. Soon afterward, something else took its place: fear. Fear of how society would treat me. Fear of my family not accepting me. Of friends shunning me. Of being misunderstood, marginalized, and hated. And with that fear came doubt. And that's where I stayed, hiding in doubt and living in fear. I was no longer hiding from myself, but still hiding from everyone else. In a way, that was even worse; I couldn't bring myself to leave the closet, let alone shake the doubt. I was utterly terrified. Life went on like this for some time. The depression got even worse. My relationships didn't improve. I graduated, got a good paying job, and still kept my truth hidden away. I was a shadow of a person, a wraith barely visible in the physical world.

Then something unexpected happened. In my mid-thirties I started making new friends and picked up some new hobbies. I very randomly fell into cosplay, and also rediscovered my high school instrument, playing trumpet in a local brass band. Soon I was meeting many queer people of all stripes. I had never met so many queer people before! I had finally found the thing that I had needed my whole life: community! I found people who were like me. People with similar interests and life stories. Allies who understood and accepted their queer friends without judgment or hesitation. I met some of my closest friends in those communities, and I finally had the space and confidence to truly explore gender, what it meant to me, and how I wanted to show it to the world.

By the time I was 36, I came out to my friends as trans. In April 2022, I started Hormone Replacement Therapy. Soon after, I came out in every social sphere of my life. And I was incredibly lucky. While so many trans and queer folk do unfortunately find their worst fears realized, mine were unfounded. My friends, family, and co-workers were incredibly supportive and accepting. I do not take that for granted one bit; I know that many queer folk can not say the same. I'm happier, more confident, well adjusted, and centered now than at any other point in my life. People who knew me before would never have described me as sociable, bubbly, proactive, warm, outgoing, and joyful. And yet, these are all adjectives that people have used to describe me since I came out. The journey isn’t over, and there are still things I have to work on and goals I want to achieve, but I know the direction now. My destination is clear, my resolve like stone, and I am flanked by a cavalcade of friends, family, and allies ready to support me!

SURGERY COSTS - "Vegeta YEEEEEESSS!!!"

I want to be completely transparent about the costs of my surgery. I don't know if we'll reach this goal, but even if we manage to take a chunk out of the final cost, it will be immensely helpful to me. I'm assuming a best case scenario in regards to the total cost. This is assuming that I have no significant issues with insurance coverage (pray to all the gods for me), that I get the surgeon I want, and that I will need no revisions. Costs could very well increase beyond this estimate. If they do I will update the goal as needed.

I have already selected my surgeons and am in the process of scheduling consults as of now, January 2025. My FFS surgeon is local and I already have a consult scheduled with him in April 2025. I have chosen an out of state surgeon for bottom surgery. There are a few reasons for this. 1) The clinic I've chosen doesn't rely on federal funding and will not be subject to any federal changes made by a certain unsavory Cheeto who will remain nameless. 2) There is a limited number of trusted surgeons locally where I live and their waitlists are very long. 3) The surgeon I have chosen is one of the best in the country and will potentially have a shorter waiting list.

Below is a breakdown of my cost estimate.

FFS

Out-of-pocket maximum: $3600

Paid medical Leave: Assuming 2 weeks before returning to work - $186 of lost income

Total: $3786

Bottom Surgery - Vaginoplasty

Out-of-pocket maximum: $3600 - It is very unlikely that I will have FFS and Bottom Surgery in the same calendar year

Paid medical Leave: Assuming 6 weeks before returning to work - $558 of lost income

Travel: Requires 5 flights to San Francisco - 1 for the surgery and 4 for in person follow up visits. Assuming the average cost of a round trip ticket to San Francisco. $150x5= $750

Lodging: Required two week stay for surgery, plus 4 follow up visits assuming an overnight stay. Assuming $100 per night (checked Expedia) $1800

Total: $6708

Bottom Surgery - Vulvoplasty

This procedure is typically a separate surgery performed after healing from vaginoplasty. I am assuming that I won’t be able to get this surgery in the same calendar year, and will need to pay deductible/out-of-pocket max again.

Out-of-pocket maximum: $3600

Paid medical Leave: Assuming 2 weeks before returning to work - $186 of lost income

Travel: 1 flight to San Francisco and an estimated 1 week stay. $850

Total: $4636

Bottom surgery prep

A significant amount of electrolysis is required before I am fully prepped for surgery. I have decided not to include this cost as I have already been paying on my own for non-surgery related electrolysis and believe I can absorb this cost without assistance.

Revisions

There is a possibility that I will need surgical revisions. It is not a high likelihood but not uncommon. I'm hoping for the best outcomes. If revisions are needed I will update the goal to reflect this.

Goal Total: $15,200

Thank you so much for taking the time and consideration. And double thank you if you choose to donate!! Here's to being true to yourself, it's never too late to start!

*Disclaimer* no raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations to this fundraiser