Hello everyone! My name is Jackie, and I'm a 25-year-old social worker living in Pittsburgh. I have been socially transitioning for about five years, and have been on hormones for almost four.

My journey of understanding my gender identity and presentation has coincided with my growth into a more outgoing, happier, confident person that a high school version of me would've never even imagined to be possible. Even my aspirations as a social worker have been further motivated by the kindness and support that I have received from so many loved ones, whether it be family, friends, or the queer community at-large that acted as the emotional and social support that was instrumental to my ability to continue living as my truest self.

In short, my discovery of my transness is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me.

After all the steps I've taken in my transition (name change, hair removal, social, etc.), what I've seen as the final piece of the puzzle is finally on the horizon: I have my top surgery scheduled for March 5th. As I've seen the endless attacks on trans individuals' access to affirming care here in the states, well as finding myself in a transitional (pun not intended) part of my life, as well as my time under my family's health insurance running out this June, there were multiple reasons that I knew that there would be no better time to just go for it than right now.

However, all of the stars have not been fully aligned for this process to be a walk in the park; primarily, I have been without a full-time job since June of 2025. Gig working has thankfully been keeping me financially afloat, but I knew that taking on something like top surgery financially was a huge risk. I have been plugging away, putting in as many hours as I can to build up as much funds as possible before the big day.

However, two major factors have made the prospect of fully funding the surgery costs through this highly unlikely: severe winter conditions that make driving much harder, and my surgery date being moved up by two weeks. For these reasons, after all the emotional and social support I've received from my community, asking for financial help for the first time would be a highly beneficial course of action.

UPMC estimates the surgery and accompanying fees will cost around $6,470; whether that's the final cost will be determined once it's all said and done, but it's the most solid number I have been given. There are also costs that come after medical expenses and aren't as easy to nail down, specifically: post-op clothing, pain medications, and enough saved money to cover all my bills and other necessities while I'm unable to work and earn income during recovery. As I want to remain as transparent as possible about where the funds will be allocated and the relative unpredictability of those costs, I will set the goal at the estimated medical costs. The rest of the expenses, I feel confident in my ability to earn and save towards in the weeks leading up to the surgery.