I’m a transgender woman from India. I was working in a corporate job and was financially independent, but I had to leave my job in March because of the severe difficulties I was having with my voice.

I had undergone voice feminisation surgery as part of my gender transition. Unfortunately, I continued to have significant problems with my voice afterwards. My voice is very weak and difficult to sustain, and medical examinations have shown ongoing problems with my vocal cords. One of my recent stroboscopy reports noted an anterior 2/3 vocal-cord web, limited vocalisation from the posterior part of both vocal cords, and a reduced mucosal wave.

This has affected much more than my ability to speak normally. At work, I had difficulty with meetings, calls and communicating with colleagues, especially when I had to speak for longer periods. At times, my voice was so weak that the background-noise cancellation on work calls would even pick up my voice as noise and cut it out. Speaking in professional situations became increasingly stressful for me, and eventually I had to leave my job in March.

I have now been unemployed for around five months and I am constantly looking for work. I’m particularly trying to find remote jobs or roles that require less speaking, because my voice is still weak and I need to find work that I can realistically manage while dealing with this ongoing problem.

While I was working, I took loans to pay for my gender-affirming surgeries. After leaving my job, I used my savings to keep up with my loan repayments and manage my expenses. I have now reached a point where I can no longer manage the repayments on my own, and the overdue charges have continued to increase.

I’m raising around ₹2.2 lakh (around CAD 3,300) to help clear my remaining loans and get through this difficult period.

If you’re able to contribute, even a small amount would mean a lot to me. If you can’t donate, sharing this fundraiser can also make a big difference by helping me reach more people.

I can provide my voice feminisation surgery records, stroboscopy and other medical reports, loan statements and relevant documents to anyone who would like to verify my situation.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for any support or sharing you’re able to give.