Help me care for myself and my community through surgery.

Hi y'all! At the end of January, I'm getting my fallopian tubes removed so I can ensure that I can live the rest of my life focused on my community while protecting my mental and emotional health.

Since I was 18, I've known that my role in life has been more of a community parent than an actual mom. I'm often labeled the friend group parent. I've focused on the work that helps youth and young adults flourish in their community. This work looks like working for nonprofits that encourage students to explore the arts, their identities, and their rights to a well-funded education free of religious overreach.

I've tried birth control like the pill and had to get off due to issues with my mental health. My depression was much worse and unmanageable—something I would experience with IUDs and other hormonal birth control.

My doctor and I decided that a permanent solution (salpingectomy) fits with my dreams. Total removal protects me from accidental pregnancies, ovarian cancer, and ectopic pregnancies. Removing just the tubes provides a permanent solution without some of the hormonal issues that would also occur from a total hysterectomy.

The reality is this also keeps me safe in a state that has severely limited access to reproductive care. I don't want to leave Texas; this is where my heart and hands are needed, and this surgery will give me a bit more comfort in staying here.

Along those lines, I hope to use my experience of this surgery journey to help other people with uteruses make similar decisions around their reproductive healthcare.

I'm using some of my savings, and insurance will offer some coverage (it's considered elective surgery, so coverage is limited). I'm asking for help to cover the difference between what I can pay out of savings and the total cost. Any amount can help me avoid larger loans.

Thank you all so much for your support! If you can't donate, I hope this inspires you to research how to protect your physical and mental health.