Hello friends, family, community far and wide, strangers,

My name is Leyla, and my amazing wife and life partner Sophia has received the long awaited news that she has been scheduled for top surgery (!!). This has been a PROCESS and I've watched her patiently navigate the hurdles to get to this point after over 2 years of waitlists, calls, consultations and waiting.

We are lucky to live somewhere where the cost of the surgery itself is covered. That said, this process has been very "hurry up and wait" and though the news of the surgery is welcome, it also means a bunch of unexpected costs such as travel (the surgery will take place in Vancouver), accomodation, recovery supplies etc. with little time to save. On top of this (lol) we are planning to move back to Montreal in the fall, which means this surgery date can't be pushed back or Sophia would need to restart this process in Quebec.

Additionally, as you may know, Sophia is a talented tattoo artist and co-owner of Tough Pup Tattoo Shop. While this comes with many beautiful perks for me (tattoos) it means that she does not have access to any paid medical leave. Recovery from top surgery is fairly intense, and the restructions around lifting and arm movement specifically will mean Sophia will be off work with no income for at least 6 weeks. Additionally, as a co-owner, she has fixed expenses associated with running the shop (insurance, internet, rent etc) that must be paid even if she is not tattooing. Though she regularly voices her dreams of being a housewife, I have not yet locked in a salary that can support us both.

The funds raised will go directly to the following:

I love Sophia with my whole heart and I know that many other people do too - I am hoping that our community can support her through this exciting & precarious time so that she can focus on resting & recovering (see photo above). If we raise more than needed I will redistribute any additional funds to other gender affirming fundraisers that have not yet met their goal.

Thank you for reading <3