<div>Hi! My name is Kaedyn, and I'm a Transgender Male Author, Creator, Host and Creative Activist, and I'm raising funds to cover the cost of gender-affirming FTM Top Surgery.


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<div><strong>Update: I had surgery on 1/31 and I’m beyond happy with the results! I had to take out a big care credit loan and am still collecting donations to pay it off. </strong>
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<div><span style="font-family:'-apple-system-body';">The compliment I receive most (aside from "I love your red hair!") is that I'm an inclusive human being who loves to make everyone feel like they belong. It's true. As a 45-year-old David Bowie-esque queer transgender man with ADHD, who grew up a tomboy and mega geek (Star Wars is life!), I know what it's like to feel like a misfit, a weirdo, and the odd one who doesn't fit in. So, a long time ago, I decided to dedicate my life to helping others feel seen and heard, and most importantly, not alone. From creating the first award show for indie geek creators (The Geekie Awards), to working on my YA fantasy novel (about LGBTQ teens who survive the gender war in 1800s Europe), to sharing the story of my transition on social media daily—helping people is my passion.</span>
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<div><strong>Now I'm asking for your help.</strong>


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<img class="m-text-editor-image" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/65758067_1654559412186250_r." alt="" width="100%" media_type="3" />
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<div><strong>MY TRANS JOURNEY (SO FAR)</strong>


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<div>Since I was a child, I have always felt like a boy. Growing up, I played with the boys, and I spent a lot of time trying to prove I was one. I felt different in my body than other girls did. This female form felt foreign to me, and I used to dream about what it would be like to have a “man’s” body and genitalia. When I met men I admired, I wanted to BE them. Not a mental “I wish women could be accepted as men” kind of way; I mean literally and physically. When I turned 15, I went through puberty, and giant C cups blossomed on my chest, and I remember how mortified I was. Worse, I had been able to hide under baggy clothes, but now I was being sexualized by my male classmates and teachers (the 80’s, ugh), only adding to my dysphoria.


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<div>Many decades later, filled with confusion, severe depression and loneliness, living in the closet and feeling ashamed to admit who I was. I didn’t grow up around trans folks, only hate for the community. I didn’t have the words to express myself, and I certainly didn’t feel safe doing so. Until one day, I remember seeing the news that Elliot Page had come out as a trans man. After reading about his euphoric experience and journey, I broke down and cried for weeks. A light inside that had been dimmed for so long burst open, and I remember saying out loud: THAT IS ME!


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<div>I spent the next several months experimenting with the labels of “bi-gender” or “non-binary,” but they didn’t fit. I felt like a man (I can’t explain this… when you know, you know!) Then I started dropping hints to friends that I felt like a gay man trapped in my body to see what they thought. After speaking to several supportive besties and other trans men, I realized that I was Trans.


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<div>And since then, WHEW! I have never felt so free, so authentically ME in my life. That is, of course, until I look in the mirror. I can’t wait to be the man I've always dreamed of on the outside... to match the guy I have always been within! I’m ready for my new beginning.


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<div><em>I need to credit the many young adults who came out all over the country, who gave me the courage to do so. With such a vast and supportive community, it feels good to belong!</em>


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<img class="m-text-editor-image" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/65758067_1654559465545994_r." alt="" width="100%" media_type="3" />
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<div><span style="font-family:'-apple-system-body';"> </span><strong style="font-family:'-apple-system-body';">WHERE THE FUNDS WILL GO</strong>

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<div>This is a safe surgical outpatient procedure, though the surgery, hospital fees, travel, care, and all that jazz add up quickly! 


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<li>$16,000 top surgery (includes surgeon, hospital fees, anesthesia, office visits, etc)


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<li>$5,000 masculinization (to help create a more masculine shape; SO beneficial for Trans Men over 40 who aren't on HRT... me!)


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<li>$300 pathology, blood tests


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<li>$600 flights to Florida (for myself and my caregiver)


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<li>$2,000 lodging + car + food - We need to stay in FL for eight nights for pre-op and post-op / drain removal + my caregiver will be staying with me for 2 weeks in Oregon. 


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<li>$300 post-care, compression, silicon tape (for 6 months), medications, etc.


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<li>$1,000 GoFundMe Fee! (2.9% + $.30/transaction)


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<div>I will be unable to work for roughly 3-4 weeks, with 8-12 weeks of recovery time needed to lift things and manage myself at home.


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<div><strong><em>If 1,000 of you donated $25 each, I can make this happen! </em></strong>


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<div><strong>MEET MY SURGEON: DR GARRAMONE</strong>


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<div>Every time I opened social media and saw an amazing photo of another man’s top surgery results, it was always the SAME DUDE! <strong>Dr. Garramone</strong>! He’s the best in the industry and has performed top surgeries for decades. And the results show it, as do the testimonials of his patients, who I’ve spoken to personally (thank you!) After all, this is my body, my temple, and I want results I LOVE.


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<img class="m-text-editor-image" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/65758067_1654558362677616_r." alt="" width="100%" media_type="3" />
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<div>Charles Garramone, D.O., F.A.C.O.S.


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<div>Board Certified Plastic &amp; Reconstructive Surgeon, Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons. Dr. Garramone is the current World’s Leading Pioneer and Surgical Authority on GenSculpt® FTM Top Surgery ® (Female To Male Transgender Chest Surgery) and the ManSculpture ® Procedure (Body Masculinization). His practice at “The Garramone Center”, serves an international clientelle, and is focused primarily on Transgender Sexual Reassignment Surgery and Gender Confirmation Surgery.


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<div>Dr. Garramone has been listed in the “Guide to America’s Top Plastic Surgeons, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 Editions” and has received the coveted “Patient’s Choice Award for 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014″. He has also been ranked as a “Top 10 Doctor” as a Plastic Surgeon Specialist. Dr. Garramone is a member of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, the American Osteopathic Association, and the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.


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<div>Dr. Garramone has been published in the acclaimed “Plastic &amp; Reconstructive Surgery ” journal with innovative new techniques for nipple reconstruction. He is also a recipient of the “Robert C. Erwin Literary Award” by the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, and the “Alvin Yarrow’s Literary Award” by Michigan State University and Botsford General Hospital for excellence in his writings in medical research. Dr. Garramone has been a leading advocate in surgical education through training other physicians, fellows, residents, and medical students. He has been considered a great clinical teacher by many, and continues to lecture nationally on several topics in Plastic &amp; Reconstructive Surgery and continues to write articles on Plastic &amp; Reconstructive Surgery to further other physicians and patients knowledge in this vast field.


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<div><strong>His practice exclusively serves the Transgender Community,</strong> as he performs surgical procedures for Female to Male Transgender patients exclusively. He performs hundreds of Sexual Reassignment surgeries per year, and is one of the most well known Plastic Surgeons in the World who specifically performs GenSculpt™ FTM Top Surgery ® and the ManSculpture ® Procedure.


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<div><strong>Some of his work (approved to post)</strong>


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<img class="m-text-editor-image" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/65758067_1654558609545075_r." alt="" width="100%" media_type="3" />
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<div><strong>WHY INSURANCE DOES NOT COVER SURGERY</strong>


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<div>Gender affirming care is new as of 2012! Though many insurance companies claim to cover gender-affirming surgeries and care, it’s a circus of loopholes and red tape to even begin receiving it, and it often takes years. IF the insurance approves surgery after all that time.<br /><br />For top surgery alone, you need one year of therapy and letters saying you’re mentally stable to go through with hormonal and surgical shifts. You don’t often get to choose your surgeon, but you will be recommended to someone in the network… and you’re lucky if they have enough experience. In the state of Oregon, there are very few top surgeons with these skills. Most Oregonians travel to either Cali or Florida for surgery, for this reason. 


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<div><strong>@TRANS FAERIE PRINCE ...?</strong>


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<div>I've always been told I have faerie energy (the magical kind!), and being trans, to me, feels like the most magical experience in the world. How amazing is it that we get to design our own bodies to fit who we are! Plus, the Fae don't care for these gender rules humans made up, and in the other realm, we are all accepted as we are!


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<div>PS You can find me on social media (Instagram / TikTok) under <strong>@TransFaeriePrince</strong>! I’ve been sharing so much of my story there #DiaryofaTransFaeriePrince, and I invite you to join me!


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Anonymous

Haze Wylde

Husain Alkhamees

Erin Page

Charlis Meador

Hannah Bradbury

Heidi Odell

Carolyn Gronlund

Hannah Bruntz

Thomas Carter

Jessica Loring

Alisha Geck

Top Surgery for FTM Trans Author Kaedyn!

Top Surgery for FTM Trans Author Kaedyn!

Still $8,660 to go. Help us build momentum.