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<div>Hey, my name is Alec, i'm 28 years old and for years, i've been suffering from lipedema - a fat distribution disorder that not only bothers me aesthetically and makes me dysphoric, but also causes discomfort and pain on a daily basis. Lipedema is a chronic disease that causes abnormal symmetrical fat to build up on your legs and arms, disproportionally to the rest of the body. It's visible in the pics i added , though i want to say it has gotten much worse since they were taken  - i just avoid taking pictures where my legs are visible or wearing short pants so these are the only ones i could find. Maybe i will add more current pictures at some point, but even just posting the current ones was really hard for me if I'm honest.
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<div>The illness is not (!) caused by simple overweight, and lifestyle changes, exercise, compression pants and lymphatic drainages can help manage symptoms, but the excess fat won't go away naturally.
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<div>The only way to ease the symptoms permantly, and get rid of the fat and all health risks that go along with it (joint issues, risks for thrombosis, pain etc.) is by surgically removing the ill fat cells in the affected areas.
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<div>In some cases, the surgery can be covered by insurance in germany, but the criteria are strict and the way to get there is long, rocky, and not in favor of the people that are affected, and quite frankly, I've been dealing with this for years now and I'm tired.
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<div>Therefore, I'd like to afford paying for the surgery, and while I have support from great friends as well as some savings of my own, it's estimated to be around 15k+ euros, which is a lot. Additionally, I'm self-employed and will miss out on income during the healing process after surgery.
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<div>Accordingly, i hope some of you have some bucks to spare to support me on my journey; any amount helps me regain quality of life and comfort in my body &lt;3
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<div>Hey, mein Name ist Alec, ich bin 28 Jahre alt und leide seit Jahren an Lipödem - einer Fettverteilungsstörung, die mich nicht nur ästhetisch stört und mir Geschlechtsdysphorie gibt, sondern mich auch täglich einschränkt, unwohl fühlen lässt und Schmerzen verursacht. Lipödem ist eine chronische Erkrankung, die abnormale, symmetrische Fettansammlungen in bestimmten Körperzonen - zumeist den Armen und Beinen - verursacht, die unproportional zum Rest des Körpers sind. Man kann das in den Bildern zwar insbesondere an meinem Beinen sehen, ich möchte aber betonen, dass das Problem bei mir in den letzten Jahren noch schlimmer geworden ist. Ich vermeide es nur Bilder zu machen, wo meine Beine sichtbar sind, oder kurze Hosen zu tragen, weshalb ich keine aktuelleren Bilder davon finden konnte. Evtl. werde ich später noch welche hinzufügen, aber alleine diese zu posten war eine große Überwindung für mich. 
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<div>Die Krankheit ist nicht (!) durch einfaches Übergewicht verursacht und Lebensstiländerungen, Sport, Kompressionshosen und Lymphdrainagen helfen zwar die Symptome leicht zu verbessern, das Fett in diesen Körperbereichen kann aber nicht auf natürliche Weise abgenommen werden.
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<div>Die einzige Möglichkeit die Krankheit und Symptome dauerhaft zu verbessern und das überschüssige Fett und damit einhergehende Gesundheitsrisiken (z.B. Gelenkprobleme, Thromboserisiko, etc.) loszuwerden, ist erkrankte Fettzellen in den betroffenen Zonen chirurgisch zu entfernen.
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<div>Seit 2026 kann diese OP zwar von der Krankenkasse übernommen werden, aber die Richtlinien sind streng, und der Weg dahin ist oft lang, steinig und nicht gerade im Sinne erkrankter Personen, und ehrlich gesagt bin ich mittlerweile einfach nur noch müde, da ich schon seit Jahren mit dieser Erkrankung zu kämpfen habe.
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<div>Entsprechend würde ich es mir gerne leisten können, diese OP als Selbstzahler zu machen; ich habe zwar die Unterstützung toller Freund:innen und Erspartes, aber die OP wird voraussichtlich um die 15 Tausend Euro kosten, was einfach sehr viel Geld ist. Zudem bin ich Freiberufler und werde während der Heilungsphase entsprechend Einkommen einbüßen müssen.
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<div>Entsprechend würde ich mich sehr freuen, wenn ihr ein paar Euro für mich erübrigen und mich auf meiner Reise unterstützen könntet
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<div>Jeder Beitrag hilft mir aktiv, Lebensqualität zurückzugewinnen und mich wohler in meinem Körper zu fühlen. &lt;3
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Valentin Leidig

Maxim Unruh

Lea Straßmann

Jonas Gemmeker

Saskia Schmid

Valerie Daiber

Florentine Steinhäuser

Pauline Hölzer

Anonymous

Ander Vincent Wart

Anna Lüthi

Lynn Klysch

Daniela Neumann

Thomas Lorenz

Misha Effenberger

Simon Keller

help me afford my lipedema surgery✨

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help me afford my lipedema surgery✨

Still €4,550 to go. Help us build momentum.