Danielle's Top Surgery

Hellooo, world. Most people who will be seeing this page will already know who I am, but for those who do not, my name is Danielle and I am a 33 year old non-binary person living in St. John's, NL. After years of struggling with gender dysphoria and never really feeling like me, I am finally ready to pursue gender-affirming surgery to feel more at home in my body.

Not only have I never related to the feminine body I was born into, I also experience breathing issues, general physical discomfort and exhaustion as a result of my chest size as I move about the world. And while I know I don't have to justify this to anyone but myself, I think it helps to give a bit of context for those who are not as familiar with this process.

Gender-affirming chest surgery or "top surgery",  "is a reconstructive surgery performed on the chest for those who wish to alter their chest size, shape, and overall appearance". As this surgery is not offered in NL, I am required to travel out of province to New Brunswick, and this will be followed by a minimum 2-6 week recovery period. There are a number of expenses incurred throughout this process and even with MCP now providing partial coverage it is still financially straining at best.

The overall cost can be challenging in the most ideal circumstances. Given patients only have about 2 weeks notice of the surgery day, the cost of last-minute plane tickets, accommodations, and rental vehicle for two people can easily exceed $2000. With the help of MCP, the medical bill for the procedure itself still runs over $3700, not including the out-of-pocket money patients have to front for various other simple luxuries during healing.

Anyone who knows me knows I am not somebody who is used to asking for help so this is a little awkward for me, but if you can support me on this journey even in the smallest of ways I will truly be forever grateful.

Thank you so much in advance,

Danielle