Help Paige Chop Off Some (a lot of) Skin

Hello everyone!

So… the 2020s, am I right?

My life the last few years has been incredibly private in comparison to my active online (and offline!) presence pre-COVID. My life came to a screeching halt and my career got thrown off the rails. At some point during that period, (being extra scared of catching COVID as a morbidly obese person, having to buy a special mattress that withstood my weight, taking blood pressure medication before the age of 30), I think I accepted that I was going to die if I didn't try to get things in order. I remember laying in bed, miserable, taking a photo of my face and using it to say "this is the day we start trying".

Over the past few years, I've shed around 125 pounds. I'm not quite done yet, but I'm happy to be under 200lb for the first time in my adult life. I can walk without getting winded, and I've seen my collarbone for the first time. I can cross my legs now. My blood pressure is normal again and I no longer have prediabetes!

Being fat has been a part of my identity my entire adult life. I went through an extraordinary battle for body acceptance. I championed fat positivity with my artwork and loud activism. I am still that person. I am still chunky, really -- and I have no interest in being conventional and thin. It was just that my weight was at a point where it was actively killing me and I had to do something. And I genuinely think that the body acceptance movement is what made me ABLE to even begin that journey. It's a movement that tells you to cherish your body and the work it does for you regardless of what it looks like. That is the frame of mind that made it possible to move forward -- not hating myself.

So, now that we got through all that…

The excess skin that remains after losing such a significant amount of weight not only affects my physical comfort but also my self-esteem and overall quality of life. It's strange -- I am proud of my weight loss, but I think I may feel more insecure about my body than I ever did when I was bigger. I think plumpness is beautiful. Unfortunately, with all the plumpness gone, it's resulted in parts of my body just looking like they're hanging off of me. It's not a great feeling even though I do fight with myself about it because really, it just proves that I worked hard.

All that is to say… please help me get it cut off!

As I'm sure you can imagine, plastic surgery is expensive. All of this is cosmetic so insurance will not even touch it. It is all going to be out of pocket.

I went to a consultation so I could get the exact prices of each procedure. In a perfect world, I just get to do a full body lift, but my main area of contention is my hanging stomach (abdominoplasty/tummy tuck). That is my first and foremost goal. I am going to list the estimated prices of each procedure for full transparency. These prices hold for the next 6 months as of September 25, 2023.

★★★ FULL ABDOMINOPLASTY W/ LIPO: $12,147.00

THIGH LIFT: $9,155.00 + ANAESTHESIA

NECK / JAW REDEFINITION: $1,880.00 + ANAESTHESIA

I am going to get this done even if I don't raise a dime. I don't really know how, but I think it is just a crucial part of my journey forward and I need to make it happen. I'm going to use this GoFundMe as like… the "goal" doesn't have to be met, I'm just looking for literally any financial help possible. Like I said, my biggest priority is my stomach area. I can deal with floppy arms and saggy thighs, but I sure as heck wouldn't be upset if I could get them gone, either.

So, to my friends and family reading this - thank you! To the people who like my art and think that I fell off the face of the earth - thank you, too! (Want a character commission? Yes, I do remember how to draw, contrary to popular belief! I'd be happy draw for donations. Please just contact me with the contact form on here about your interest and we can work something out.)

Well, I think that's it...?

I have a lot of new things in my life. A partner, a dog (LOOK AT HER RIGHT NOW) --

-- an apartment, a full time job… a lot of really good stuff, now that I think about it. I get stuck on the negatives a lot. And this whole skin thing… it's a big negative for me. Man, I just want to wear pants that fit, okay?

Written with immense gratitude,

Paige