Help Jude Access Gender Affirming Surgery in June '25

I am Shannon McKay (she/her) and I am raising funds for my 20-year-old daughter Jude (she/her) for her upcoming gender-confirming surgery. Jude is transgender and has been expressing herself as femme since she was a little tot. Now, as an adult, she is ready for this next important and life-affirming step. I work for a nonprofit organization and get insurance through the marketplace where HMO's are the best option. Our previous plan didn't cover out-of-network services, so we had to cancel her surgery and changed to the plan the surgeon said would be considered in-network.

Jude's surgery date is set for early June and we just found out our new insurance plan has denied coverage. They say there is someone in-network that provides this type of care, but it is not someone with enough experience and the wait for a surgery date would be up to 2 years! Jude has waited her whole life for this and rather than postponing AGAIN, our only option at this moment is to put a deposit down to save her date and try to raise the funds so she can proceed with her surgery in June 2025.

The cost for self pay will exceed $35,000!

We realize there are a lot of pressing needs for a lot of people right now. Please give, if possible, and share with other folks that might want to help.

Insurance companies shouldn't dictate whether or not someone gets the medical care they need and deserve.