Please Help Madison To Be Her True Self
Donation protected
For those of you who don't know my story, my name is Madison and I am a transgender woman. Up until about two and a half years ago, I lived my life in this silent nightmare where I knew I had been born into the wrong body but, due to the social and political climate, I was not in a position where I could begin to safely transition to be the woman I have always been inside. Finally, in 2017, I began hormone replacement therapy to begin living my life as the real me...not the person the rest of the world had seen me as for over 40 years.
For years, I lived in silence. The only place I could find refuge and support prior to beginning my journey was on the internet, talking with others who, like me, struggled with Gender Dysphoria, and those I knew who accepted me as the woman I am. For those years prior to coming "out of the closet," those connections made through the internet were all that kept me alive as I struggled with severe depression due to the impacts of Gender Dysphoria.
Transitioning is an emotionally exhausting and expensive process. There is buying a wardrobe, which is costly. And then there is the actual medical transition. Even with my medical insurance, which covers my required counseling, hormone therapy and will ultimately cover my Gender Reassignment Surgery, transitioning to your true gender is not cheap. Add other gender affirming surgeries (breast implants, facial feminization, etc.) which are considered cosmetic, not reconstructive and typically not covered by insurance, and this raises the costs of transitioning into the tens of thousands of dollars per surgery. Its important to understand that gender affirming surgeries are not about vanity. They are not about having the perfect body. They are about congruence...having your heart and body aligned so that you can just feel basic comfort within your own skin.
At my age, HRT is only so effective in changing my body. As such, I have explored the cost of some gender affirming surgeries. After being referred by my ophthalmologist to have an eye lid and brow lift surgery that is covered by insurance, I was informed that I could group breast augmentation and some facial feminization procedures with the eye lid surgery. This would greatly reduce the financial burden and would help me to have a more feminine appearance.
This is where I reach out to all of you. I am asking for your help.
By having breast implants and facial feminization done at the say time as a medically necessary procedure, I can reduce the cost of these procedures from over $30,000 to roughly $7000. With all of the other costs I have towards my transition, that is just more money than I can put aside at this time. I am asking for your help in raising this money so that I can feel more normal in my own body and have fewer fears about venturing out into public as the real me.
Every dollar helps, so whether you were to donate $1, $5 or more...it wouldn't matter. Any help you could provide would mean a great deal to me and I would be incredibly grateful for your support.
For years, I lived in silence. The only place I could find refuge and support prior to beginning my journey was on the internet, talking with others who, like me, struggled with Gender Dysphoria, and those I knew who accepted me as the woman I am. For those years prior to coming "out of the closet," those connections made through the internet were all that kept me alive as I struggled with severe depression due to the impacts of Gender Dysphoria.
Transitioning is an emotionally exhausting and expensive process. There is buying a wardrobe, which is costly. And then there is the actual medical transition. Even with my medical insurance, which covers my required counseling, hormone therapy and will ultimately cover my Gender Reassignment Surgery, transitioning to your true gender is not cheap. Add other gender affirming surgeries (breast implants, facial feminization, etc.) which are considered cosmetic, not reconstructive and typically not covered by insurance, and this raises the costs of transitioning into the tens of thousands of dollars per surgery. Its important to understand that gender affirming surgeries are not about vanity. They are not about having the perfect body. They are about congruence...having your heart and body aligned so that you can just feel basic comfort within your own skin.
At my age, HRT is only so effective in changing my body. As such, I have explored the cost of some gender affirming surgeries. After being referred by my ophthalmologist to have an eye lid and brow lift surgery that is covered by insurance, I was informed that I could group breast augmentation and some facial feminization procedures with the eye lid surgery. This would greatly reduce the financial burden and would help me to have a more feminine appearance.
This is where I reach out to all of you. I am asking for your help.
By having breast implants and facial feminization done at the say time as a medically necessary procedure, I can reduce the cost of these procedures from over $30,000 to roughly $7000. With all of the other costs I have towards my transition, that is just more money than I can put aside at this time. I am asking for your help in raising this money so that I can feel more normal in my own body and have fewer fears about venturing out into public as the real me.
Every dollar helps, so whether you were to donate $1, $5 or more...it wouldn't matter. Any help you could provide would mean a great deal to me and I would be incredibly grateful for your support.
Organizer
Edward Watkins
Organizer
Chestnut Hill, VA
