Hello everyone, firstly I'd like to thank you for even clicking this post and would be grateful to anyone who reads further.

I am a young adult who is unfortunately trans, meaning that I was born with the wrong sex at birth, and therefore, went through the wrong puberty which greatly impacted my physical and mental health.

Being AFAB I have struggled against medical bias with finding treatment for hyper-mobility and hEDS which effects my muscle strength and stability, which has caused my health to decline over the years and makes working difficult, but I push through. Yet despite this, I unfortunately do not make enough money as I am struggling with discrimination in employment (I have a "position" but not an allocated area so cannot work nor be paid, so this certainly adds to my daily stress when I am already struggling) to be able to afford such an important, critical surgery for me personally: top surgery.

Within the UK I have been quoted a range of £10k-£12k not including the cost of requested paperwork such as gender dysphoria diagnosis', surgery referrals, hormone approvals etc. and my physical health condition, combined with requesting trans care has greatly limited my options for surgeons and/ or clinics willing to look at my case, although, as you can see by the quote above, even those who were willing to complete a consultation have a high quote that is unaccessible to me.

Despite this I have lived as a man for over 6 years through college and university, have known I was trans and wanted to change since I was 11, but have unfortunately been stuck on the GIC waiting lists for almost 5 years now after being told I would wait a maximum of 3-4 years- and current legislations in parliment and the review of NHS procedures are only making recieving this care more difficult, leaving private care as the only option for many, such as myself- which can be estimated on average of £500 per session! But unfortunately, until I can afford all this paperwork, I cannot change my birth certificate or other documents and cannot recieve the care I need within the UK- and even then, prices continue to rise when they are already high. I tell you this to try show how truly serious I am about this procedure and change, and how I am not confused or rushing into anything as I know that can be a concern for people, I have always kept my research on procedures up to date and debated with myself all through highschool until I finally accepted myself in college- so I am 100% sure, and in the correct state of mind and am educated on the topic and risks etc. My happiness is worth everything to me, and I hope that even as a stranger you can see that.

It is extremely difficult to ask other people for donations but I have to accept and understand that I am in a difficult position of where I need to remove the main barrier that is negatively impacting my mental health, and therefore my physical health, such as my chest. For that reason, I also understand why it can be so difficult to donate to other people, whether you are struggling yourself, or have lost trust in the internet- I understand completely- I have composed a list of costs to explain my goal amount.

Cost breakdown:

- Surgery= €3,400/ £2,935, but may vary based on method

- Gender incongruence diagnosis and surgery referral= approximately £300

- Train ticket to Manchester airport= £52 each (note that due to early flight times a taxi may be required, so whilst prices can't be guaranteed I have been quoted around £80-90 each way at best, and Manchester is the nearest airport which flies to Porto).

- Flights from Manchester airport to Porto, Portugal= £289.60 with a carry on bag (as I cannot lift a suitcase and checked bags wanted to add nearly an extra £100!)

- Hotel= cheapest found £452.68 for one week depending on conversion fees (note that I am aware shared dorms may be cheaper but after surgery I cannot use a bunk bed, and this price is the cheapest I found for a single bed and shared bathroom dorm)

- Post-op binder= £122.12 (but am obviously asking if I can find a cheaper supplier, but this is the price of the vest recommended by the surgeon).

- Post-op medications= £50

Total= £4,329.40

If you cannot donate, even just £1, please share this page to your friends or family, as every penny really does matter in my situation. It's crazy to think, and put it into the perspective that if everyone donated £10 it would only take 400 people to reach my minimum goal so if you could help make this happen I would be eternally grateful.

Thank you, with much love and eternal gratefulness to anyone who donates or shares this post.