Hey, I'm Arlo! I've been out as trans and non-binary for over six years. With that, I've been on an NHS gender clinic waitlist since mid-2021 for gender-affirming care and still haven't heard a thing.

Over the last two years, I've been on HRT and feel so much more at home in my body and at peace with myself. I can't quite find the words to explain the freedom that I feel within myself lately. At last, when I look in the mirror, I have started to see and recognise myself.

However, in recent years, I have developed severe chronic neck and shoulder pain and am in the process of receiving a diagnosis of symptomatic hypermobility spectrum disorder. This has stopped me from being able to wear a chest binder or trans tape at all and means that I have no way to soothe my chest dysphoria on a day-to-day basis. This is also putting me at risk as a visibly trans person amongst the worsening attitudes towards trans people in the UK. I also consistently slouch to hide my chest, which worsens my pain. I just want to be able to stand tall and proud and feel good! What's a guy gotta do!?

Therefore, I am fundraising for my top surgery so that I can live a more pain-free life as well as exist comfortably in the world as I see myself. I'm a student living from loan payment to loan payment, so fundraising is my only option for this. As I'm a disabled student, I'm only able to work a minimal amount, so I'm looking to fundraise the majority of the costs here, but I will be contributing as much as I can.

I'm hoping to get my surgery abroad as costs in the UK range from £ 9k- £ 12k, and my current options of Portugal or Turkey range from £3k-4.5k.

I'll be fundraising for:

Thank you so much for reading this short rundown of my story! Donate if you can, and if not, please share around :)

All my love,

Arlo xx