My name is Syd, and I’m raising funds to offset the costs for my gender-affirming care, particularly my top surgery.

I started my gender transition journey over 1.5 years ago, and my life has never been better! I’ve seen very promising improvements in my mental and physical well-being since I started being true to who I am, and this turn around is incredible when compared to the state of my mental health pre-transition. From the age of 8 years old, my life was riddled with frequent panic attacks, depression, and body dysmorphia that, frankly, I thought I would always struggle with. Since starting my transition with the guidance of my psychiatrist, I have not had a single panic attack, and my depression has significantly subsided—I am so grateful that I found the courage to live authentically, and I am more determined than ever to maintain my newfound well-being.

While socially transitioning has clearly been transformative, I feel my transition is still incomplete—and my potential not fully fulfilled—without the support of medicine. While insurance (hopefully) will cover parts of my gender affirming care like testosterone, getting coverage for my top surgery is not a viable option. For the surgery, I was lucky enough to receive a very reasonable, time-sensitive quote from a highly distinguished surgeon in Maryland, putting the out-of-pocket costs at a bit over $10k.

As a first-year law student with a packed class schedule and substantial student loans, I have a lot of work to do to get the money needed for my top surgery. I’ve taken up Door Dashing after classes to save up, but otherwise I have no way to cover the surgery costs beyond loans. I am hoping to raise at least $5k here to cover half of costs of the surgery, while I hope to save up the second half myself so that I do not have to add to my loan debt.

All that said, any and all donations, even just a couple dollars, are sincerely appreciated! I am so grateful to receive support from people that want me to fully embody my most authentic self. Thank you!