Support Autumn's Gender-Affirming Surgery

My name is Autumn and I'm raising funds to get gender-affirming care. I came out as a trans woman in February of 2018 and have been on hormone replacement therapy since March 2018. After almost 7 years of transitioning, I have diminished all my major sources of gender dysphoria but one, my chest. In 2024, I spent months jumping through hoops with both doctors and therapists to convince my health insurance to pay for needed and long overdue healthcare. I finally made some progress and in the Fall of 2024, I was referred for breast augmentation with the only plastic surgeon who would accept my insurance. The earliest date they could see me for a consultation was in Jan 2025. I was overcome with excitement and joy. I wouldn't be distraught and depressed for feeling like an alien in my own body whenever I saw my torso in the mirror. I wouldn't be boxed out by certain tops/dresses and thus more noticeably trans in a society quickly becoming more openly hostile towards trans people. The body I see in the mirror would fully and finally match the woman I know myself to be in my head.

However, I lost my Medicaid-provided health insurance without warning on the 1st of 2025. After waiting months to talk to a surgeon and years to finish aligning my body with my mental self-image, I decided to still go to my consultation. Everything the doctor told me felt like a dream waiting to come true until the estimate for the surgery dragged me back to reality. The total cost of everything out-of-pocket is $8,640. While I have been consistently employed and saving money for years, $8,640 is several times more than what I have been able to put away. I started physically transitioning as I turned 26 and now on the cusp of turning 33, I am exhausted. I want to be complete and continue with the rest of my life uninterrupted by gender dysphoria. I plan on increasing the amount I'm saving, but even so, without outside help, it'll be years before I can afford surgery.