help casey fund their top surgery

hi all. my name is mia. I'm 27 as I write this and, as of yesterday, have a quote for top surgery in my hands and a top surgery date scheduled for 7/19. there has been a lot of change this year, but this is a privileged change i can be happy about - happier than i have been in a long, long time, really.

(edit: // my surgery was rescheduled to 8/2!))

as some of you already know, and others may not, i identify as nonbinary transmasc. i'm someone who cried during their first bra measurement (and their second, and avoided it after), who compressed for the entirety of late middle and highschool (before I even knew what binding was), who used to skip swim-class and wore wet-suits to the beach, who stepped back from sports and never pursued dance (surprise - i've been quietly in love with dance for years) all partially because of my chest... there is a long list i've carried with me most of my life. 

so, yeah, a privilege. i am so excited. but, still, there are barriers.

as i write this, the quote is $6,968. unfortunately this is outside of my means . but, as a necessary and life-changing opportunity for me (and my first real step forward, i feel) i'll be putting the entire surgery and associated costs (a compression vest, loss of work hours, and any potential revisions needed) on credit. not doing so is just not an option for me anymore - hence me coming out publicly to ask for help, despite how, like, incredibly terrified I am.

so, yeah. i'm here, and i'm asking for help and support in softening the damage.

my income & details

i love the work i currently do, but am still living check-to-check. what little i have saved up ($2,000) is going back in quarterly taxes ($800) and a move by 6/31 (moving costs will be around $900, estimated). after that, it'll be a crawl until I land additional freelance opportunities. the crawl could last for years, so i'm taking a fairly big risk here, but it's a necessary one.

i will likely be putting my last 3 university classes on hold to pick up more hours to afford the surgery's monthly payments and the cost of continued therapy (which my chosen family has helped me with, and I am now taking full responsibility for - thank you so, so much to jb & the havilands & and their continued support, love and faith in me).

need some writing or fancying up done?

i can write (drabble-length creative, copy, and content) and i can design (typography-based, simple assets with 1-2 revisions, depending). if you prefer, and my skillset fits something you need, please consider commissioning me. please visit https://miatopsurgery.carrd.co/ (personal & creative commissioned work) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mialandeck/ (B2B and B2C work) for a peak into what I can do.

thank you so much for the consideration, for reading. if we're close, thank you for being a part of my life. if we haven't talked in a long time, thank you for still thinking of me, even if i'm hard to get a hold of - life has been a lot for all of us. and if we've never met, thank you so much for listening to a small snapshot of my story.

happy pride month to everyone.