Hi--my name is Lonnie. I've started this fund for my quickly-approaching mastectomy.

While I've been pursuing this medically necessary procedure for quite some time now (since 2017), I finally have a date: October 24th.

My care team has informed me that there may be out-of-pocket costs of up to $3k, even with my insurance. As I have been living with the effects of progressing Ankylosing Spondylitis, I have completely depleted my savings on living expenses due to my current inability to work. In the spirit of honoring my privacy, I kindly ask that if you would like to know more about AS and how it affects a person's health and ability, that you give it a quick Google or YouTube search!

Being able to finally have this gender-affirming surgery and recover safely will, in turn, allow me to

and

I now have less than 30 days to ensure that my out-of-pocket costs can be covered! It is vital for my recovery that I'm able to take my time and honor the pace at which my chronically ill body can heal. Any amount that exceeds what I end up being billed will be used for medical supplies, nutrition, and cost-of-living expenses in the interim.

Thank you so much for reading, sharing, and donating!

<3 Lonnie (they/he)

[ID: Three screenshots over a coral to teal gradient background.

1: an email that says: Hello Lonnie, We're almost there! I'd like to remind you that your surgery date is on October 24, 2022 with Dr. [redacted].

2: an excerpt from a therapist's letter that says: Dr. [redacted], [dead name] Whisman is a 23-year-old, African American/White non-binary-identified client. Client's date of birth is [redacted] 1998. Client goes by the name Lonnie. I met with this client for the following assessment on 7/6/2022. Lonnie was assigned female at birth, although they socially transitioned in August 2017 and began a hormonal transition in January 2021. Lonnie has fully met the Standards of Care (SoC) for the Health of Transexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People to date and is very likely to comply in the future. As stated above, Lonnie has [lived] fully in their nonbinary identity in all areas of their life both socially and professionally for the past five years. Lonnie is an intelligent and thoughtful individual who has demonstrated the ability to make informed decisions with clear and realistic expectations in regards to this surgical procedure. They have- [excerpt cuts off].

3: an excerpt from a health insurance document that says: Patient Name: [dead name] Whisman DOB: [redacted] 1998 Admission Date: 9/23/2022 Reference Number: [redacted]

We received a request to review outpatient services for you. This letter is notification regarding the review of clinical information needed to determine if the service(s) are medically necessary, as defined in your plan document. Based on the information submitted, we have determined the following treatment is medically necessary.

This is followed by Dates of Service Range and CPT Codes for "Mastectomy, simple, complete" and "Nipple/areola reconstruction".

There is a linework illustration at the bottom of the image: Lonnie, a smiling person holding their arm in a thumbs-up position with Afro textured hair, glasses, and a shirt collar with a small white heart on one side and curvy lettering that spells "please help..." on the other side.

End ID]