Elias’s Top Surgery

Disclaimer: Haïti is not supported by GoFundMe. My good friend Malik has set up the fundraiser on my behalf and Malik will ensure the funds reach me.

Some men are born in there bodies, others have to fight for it.

Who am I ?

Hello,

My name is Elias, I'm a 20 years old black transgender man living in Haïti, I speak 3 languages. For safety reasons I have to live stealth that's why I can't show my face.

I don’t usually ask for help and I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to do so but here we are. I'm fundraising for my gender-affirming top surgery* (double mastectomy). 

I never imagined gender affirming surgery would be something l'd be able to access, ever since I discovered its existence through my exploration of the internet (Instagram) in my early teens. I started HRT on November 2021 . Through this time. I knew I was transgender since I could remember but I've lived as a stud/tomboy for the past 16 years because I didn't want people to know for safety reasons as Haïti isn't trans friendly. I felt so desolate that I tried to take my own life when I was only 15 years old... it was my first attempt, I've tried 2 more times...Luckily my life did not end. It took years of therapy and and i've been on medications for depression and anxiety for the past 2 years because of my dysphoria. I also have an history of self-harm. 

My dysphoria held me back my entire life; i couldn't participate in school activities, i couldn't do sports, I can't even go to a grocery store without suffering, I only go out to go to college or other necessary things. I've been wearing a binder for 2 years now, although my chest still never seemed flat enough, I started feeling more comfortable in my clothing even if I experience pain in my ribcage from prolonged binder use.

 

I started HRT on november 2020, I've done very well on HRT and it has alleviated a lot of my dysphoria. I can now present and function as male, which has been lifesaving for me. However, now that I pass as male I can't afford for people to see my chest and know that I'm trans (I'm a very introverted person)and because of that fear, I spend my entire mornings, afternoons, and evenings in complete distress, anxious, feeling hopeless.The dysphoria, fear, and physical pain I experience on a daily basis is destroying my life. I feel trapped in my own body. It’s hard logging onto the Internet and trying to explain to people why I’m deserving of this surgery. 

 

My chest just doesn't feel like my own and it feels more and more urgent every day to do something about it. Having dysphoria is not a choice, and to this day the only permanent solution that has been found is surgery and hormones.

I was approved for top surgery and I am so excited to say that my surgery has been scheduled for july 2023.The major obstacle l'm facing is the cost, which is why I need some help. Being a full-time student I can't get a job so l just can't feasibly afford to fund it by myself without support from others. In Haïti , insurance does not cover gender-affirming surgery making it incredibly inaccessible despite saving lives by improving the mental health of those who access them. 

 

The total amount is US$ USD 4,460.00. 

This quote includes: 

• Surgeon fees 

• Anesthesiologist fees

• One overnight stay at the clinic

• Post-surgery appointments

• Lab work

• Post-surgery compression garment

• Personal nurse service for the overnight at the clinic

• Electrocardiogram and consultation with cardiologist

• Neumologist

• Chest x-ray

Additional costs

Medication - US$150.00

Medical Pump for pain management - (Price depends)

Post-surgery compression garment- US$130.00 a US$150.00

Hotel or Recovery Home - ( Price depends on where you choose o stay)

It’s quite a hard choice; I went through a lot before accepting my destiny to go under the knife because surgery is not fun or easy at all, and luckily there is at least a way to solve it even if it is not perfect. 

 

 I already feel like I've lost so much time to hating myself and I just want to be free. I want to feel the softness of t-shirts against my skin. l'd hate to spend anymore of my life with that body that puts me in danger. Even though I don't have anywhere near that amount of money, and it could take me many years to save it; I thought: What if I asked for help? What if I could count on the support of all the people who read this text?

No money ? No problem ! Exposure is 100% free. Share the link to this gofundme on social media, or privately with anyone you think might be able top help!

Any help anyone can provide is very much appreciated even if it's 1 dollar. You'll be helping me feel comfortable in my own body, probably for the first time in my life.

Thank you for taking the time to go over my story and consider supporting my cause, it doesn’t go unappreciated. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll attempt to answer.

Thank you!!

*top surgery is the removal of breast tissue and the reconstruction of the chest to flatten it, so that it resembles a male chest.