Kurt's Top Surgery Journey
Donation protected
Hello friends!
This GoFundMe Campaign has been set up by the family of our wonderful Kurt, who is on an amazing journey that we want to support every step of the way. Although Kurt was very resistant to asking for help, as he is ALWAYS helping others and thinking about everyone other than himself, we have insisted that he put this together so that his family and friends, and hopefully some wonderful strangers, can show him that he is loved, and supported.
100% of the funds raised through this campaign will go directly to Kurt and his fiance James, in an effort to cover the costs of the surgery that is happening in September 2018, and the many costs associated with going through this procedure, including lose of wages, medicinal costs, etc. Please help us help Kurt become who he truly has always been meant to be.
We asked him to share his story in his own words, which he has done here:
---
"My name is Kurt Johnson, I am a 25 year old ftm living in Hamilton, Ontario. I have a passion for photography, teaching, and animals. I came out as a transgender male when I was about 17 years old, mostly only at school and with friends. When I was 18/19, I came out to everyone else and started living completely as male, and at 22 I was able to legally change my name.
I started Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) just over a year ago, on March 3rd. Starting hormones was one of the best things I’ve ever been able to do, and has helped me feel immensely better about myself and has helped me feel like my physical body and my mental image of myself are beginning to align, and this has impacted my mental health in a really positive way.
While I have been feeling better about myself, the fact that I have not had top surgery yet weighs on me daily, and causes me anxiety and dysphoria. I wear a binder daily, which can cause physical pain and long term side effects.
Along with dysphoria caused by my chest, I’ve also been suffering with body image issues since childhood because of a scar that I have on the middle of my stomach. I’ve always had a difficult time wearing bathing suits or even just taking my shirt off in public.
When I had my top surgery consultation I was given the opportunity to have a surgery to revise the scar on my stomach at the same time as I’ll be getting my top surgery. The good news is I’ll be able to save some money (on anesthesia) doing it this way, but the bad news is that (unlike top surgery) no portion of this surgery will be covered. The cost for both surgeries will be around 8500 dollars.
I never wanted to ask anyone for money, and while I still feel immensely guilty about doing so, I fear that I might not be able to save up enough money for both surgeries. I’ll be doing everything I can to save money on my own, (taking on more jobs, and selling my prints on the side) but any donations would be beneficial and taken with EXTREME gratitude and appreciation. If you can’t donate, please don’t feel bad as I would never feel any negative emotion toward anyone! Feel free to simply pass it on, or just send me nice thoughts!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. I love you all! ♡
---
This GoFundMe Campaign has been set up by the family of our wonderful Kurt, who is on an amazing journey that we want to support every step of the way. Although Kurt was very resistant to asking for help, as he is ALWAYS helping others and thinking about everyone other than himself, we have insisted that he put this together so that his family and friends, and hopefully some wonderful strangers, can show him that he is loved, and supported.
100% of the funds raised through this campaign will go directly to Kurt and his fiance James, in an effort to cover the costs of the surgery that is happening in September 2018, and the many costs associated with going through this procedure, including lose of wages, medicinal costs, etc. Please help us help Kurt become who he truly has always been meant to be.
We asked him to share his story in his own words, which he has done here:
---
"My name is Kurt Johnson, I am a 25 year old ftm living in Hamilton, Ontario. I have a passion for photography, teaching, and animals. I came out as a transgender male when I was about 17 years old, mostly only at school and with friends. When I was 18/19, I came out to everyone else and started living completely as male, and at 22 I was able to legally change my name.
I started Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) just over a year ago, on March 3rd. Starting hormones was one of the best things I’ve ever been able to do, and has helped me feel immensely better about myself and has helped me feel like my physical body and my mental image of myself are beginning to align, and this has impacted my mental health in a really positive way.
While I have been feeling better about myself, the fact that I have not had top surgery yet weighs on me daily, and causes me anxiety and dysphoria. I wear a binder daily, which can cause physical pain and long term side effects.
Along with dysphoria caused by my chest, I’ve also been suffering with body image issues since childhood because of a scar that I have on the middle of my stomach. I’ve always had a difficult time wearing bathing suits or even just taking my shirt off in public.
When I had my top surgery consultation I was given the opportunity to have a surgery to revise the scar on my stomach at the same time as I’ll be getting my top surgery. The good news is I’ll be able to save some money (on anesthesia) doing it this way, but the bad news is that (unlike top surgery) no portion of this surgery will be covered. The cost for both surgeries will be around 8500 dollars.
I never wanted to ask anyone for money, and while I still feel immensely guilty about doing so, I fear that I might not be able to save up enough money for both surgeries. I’ll be doing everything I can to save money on my own, (taking on more jobs, and selling my prints on the side) but any donations would be beneficial and taken with EXTREME gratitude and appreciation. If you can’t donate, please don’t feel bad as I would never feel any negative emotion toward anyone! Feel free to simply pass it on, or just send me nice thoughts!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. I love you all! ♡
---
Organizer and beneficiary
Adriane Duckworth
Organizer
Hamilton, ON
Kurt Johnson
Beneficiary
