Help Caleb Get Top Surgery

Hi! Some of you probably know me: my name is Caleb, and I’m a trans man.

Over the last few years, I’ve been able to start my medical transition after a long time thinking it would never be possible for me. Before 2019, I was without insurance, living in a state where transition-related care was difficult to come by. Thankfully, I’ve been fortunate enough to end up in a position where I have health insurance which covers most of my gender-affirming care, but actually getting scheduled for top surgery has been trickier.

I was originally hoping to have surgery in the summer of 2020, but then COVID-19 hit, and I had to adjust my expectations. About 8 months ago, I met with a plastic surgeon who is covered by my insurance, but he refused to do surgery on me until my BMI was under a certain percent, and who told me to do “whatever it took” to reach the weight I needed to have surgery. I’ve been actively losing weight since, but was recently told that my efforts weren’t enough, and my surgery was postponed indefinitely for a second time. Needless to say, that approach to my care left a sour taste in my mouth. Earlier this month, I finally found another surgeon closer to me that did not have a BMI restriction and who was willing to get me in before the end of the calendar year, but the catch is that a significant portion of the surgery is not covered by insurance. That’s why I’m here.

Right now, I can’t imagine looking in a mirror and seeing a body I feel at home in. I truly believe that top surgery is the step of my transition that, while it won’t fix everything, will really help me to live authentically as myself.

Of course, I know things are hard for most people right now, so I deeply appreciate any form of support you can offer, even just a quick share. Asking for financial support without having anything to offer in return is a weird feeling for me. I don’t have much to give, but if you’d like, I’d love to cross stitch or embroider you something—just shoot me a message.

Any funds I might raise that exceed my goal will be donated directly to other folks’ transition funds, as a way to pay forward your kindness. Thank you infinitely for reading, and for giving me even just a moment of your time!

All my love,

Caleb