Mabel's Top Surgery

Hi, my name is Mabel Lin and I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I am creating this fundraiser to raise money to recieve top surgery and pay for its supply costs.

Ever since I was a kid, I never really felt comfortable in my own body. This feeling only got worse when I started to hit puberty at 13. I'm 22 years old now and whenever I look in the mirror, I still hate the way my chest looks. I've seen countless therapists seeking help for my mental health. I didn't even know what top surgery was until I began looking for answers and solutions so that I could stop hating the body I was born with. As a young child, I always wore my brother's clothing. I got called a "tomboy" by family members and was told that I would 'grow out of it'. Anytime I go in public, I often get stared at because people I meet get confused when they see that I have short hair but also have breasts; and when I talk - I sound like a girl.

It wasn't until 2019 that I came out as gay to my close friends and a few family members. In that same year, I was struggling to find myself and who I was/wanted to be. In 2022, I started using she/her and they/them pronouns among my friends. I finally began feeling a bit more okay with the way people perceived me, but still, something was missing. Deep down inside, I knew I didn't want to identify as a woman anymore and a part of me still struggled with waking up every day and looking in the mirror just to see someone I didn't recognize.

I bought myself a binder so that I could hide my chest but then I learned about the damaging long-term health effects that wearing a binder for extended periods could cause. In 2023, I bought myself TransTape and began using that to conceal my chest. At the end of the day, I still look in the mirror and have to think about the physical challenges that come with being biologically born a girl. I have come to accept that I never will be fully and completely comfortable with the way I look with the chest I currently have.

And thus, the reason why gender-affirming care such as top surgery is so important to me is because I've realized that not everyone is born into the right body or the body they accept and are comfortable with. And I also recognize that not everyone is lucky enough to have the opportunity to be accepted by those around them such as friends or family. I am so grateful to have friends that support me and accept me for who I am. They are the ones who encouraged me to look into getting top surgery.

100% of all the money raised from this fundraiser will go towards the supplies needed for my chest masculinization surgery. And if you're not in a position to donate, please feel free to share this with people you know. Every cent, every dollar, counts. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Mabel :)