Hi, I'm Lorien. I am a 42-year-old trans woman currently in the first year of my gender transition, and I've quickly realized that this process is an extremely expensive one. I originally started this fundraiser as a way to raise money for a hair transplant surgery, but I quickly realized that the earliest estimates I was given for this were unrealistic, and that the surgery would be out of reach, and ended up settling for wearing wigs instead. After that, I kept the GoFundMe open as a generic transition fundraiser.

However, I've recently encountered another huge setback in my transition. Despite my health insurance claiming that they cover Gender Confirmation Surgery, because it my plan is through a third party company, no trans related procedures are actually covered at all. Because of this I have to fund the entire surgery on my own. Doing so in the U.S., without insurance, could be up to $100,000. Rather than that, I'm looking into foreign options, which are much cheaper. They all vary in price, but some of the lowest prices start around $12,000 to $14,000. I feel this is a much more realistic goal. (I also still have the roughly $2,000 that was originally raised, which will be put towards the $10,000 goal as well.)

Waiting this long to accept myself as trans and as a woman has been one of the deepest regrets in my life, but I absolutely need this procedure in order to survive. The dysphoria I deal with on a daily basis is intolerable, and if I don't eventually alleviate it through transitioning, I know myself well enough to confidently say I won't make it to the end of my natural life. And, unlike with the hair restoration surgery, there is no alternative like just wearing wigs.

So this is going to happen, even if it sends me even deeper into debt than I already am. Despite my insurance company's opinion, this is a medically necessary procedure. Donating to this fundraiser will help me immensely in financial terms and will mean that I can get rid of a major source of dysphoria much earlier than I otherwise could.

I sincerely appreciate anything you can give. If you can't afford to give anything, please consider sharing this with friends and family. Thank you so much for taking the time to read, and to donate.