Hi, my name is Jimena (they/he) and I’m a 27 year old Peruvian drag queen and makeup artist living in Edmonton. I came out as trans nonbinary in December of 2022, and while it has been incredibly exciting, it has also been one of the most difficult experiences I have encountered in my adult life. Since coming out, I have had consistent dysphoria regarding my chest. I have been wearing a binder to flatten it daily for almost ten hours a day, which has left me with shoulder and back pain that I now see a chiropractor for. I recently switched to using trans tape, as it is easier on your neck and shoulders, but painful blisters have started to form where the tape pulls my skin the most. Despite this, the mental benefits of wearing a binder and using trans tape have been tremendous and I intend on continuing to use both until I am finally able to get top surgery.

I am on the waitlist for top surgery with Dr. James Kennedy - a highly recommended Calgary surgeon who does both private and public top surgery. The wait time to go through the public system (which is the wait list that I am on) is currently four years, whereas paying out of pocket would mean that I could get my surgery a few months out. This surgery would vastly improve my quality of life both mentally as well as physically, which is why I have decided to do everything in my power to go the private route.

My original plan was to set aside as much money as possible before starting this GoFundMe. I had almost $3000 saved up at the beginning of last year, but my car started having trouble starting and five trips to the mechanic (and over $3000) later I am unfortunately back to square one.

I have spent the last month researching and contacting surgeons in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton to get a quote. A few of them told me they only work with the public system, and the rest quoted me between $10 000 and

$12 500 before tax. When I had my appointment with Dr. Jablonski to be referred to a surgeon, he told me that he highly recommended Dr. Kennedy, who also happens to be local which would mean no travel expenses on top of my surgery. I called Dr. Kennedy’s office and they gave me the following cost breakdown:

$100 consultation fee for the initial appointment.

$10 000 estimate for the surgery itself.

$500 tax.

If you are still here, thank you so much for reading this lengthy essay! I know it sounds cliche, but any little bit counts, so if you are in a position to donate, even if it’s just a few dollars, that still gets me a few dollars closer to my goal. If you could also share this page with your networks that would mean the world to me!

Sincerely,

Jimena

(they/them)