Vix’s Top Surgery - Please save my back and my sanity!

Hi, my name is Vix! I’m a non-binary, disabled artist from the UK. (I use they/them pronouns!)

I’m crowd-funding for top surgery.

[Image description: two photos of Vix from a pride event in 2022. Vix is dressed in a colourful outfit representing the progress pride flag and non-binary pride flag, and they are holding a homemade sign reading “Trans Rights Are Human Rights”. The photos are decorated with cute rainbow deco stickers.]

If you’ve known me for even a short while, you’ll know I’ve been longing for top surgery to heavily reduce my large breasts. I have been seeking this surgery for two key reasons:

1) My gender identity - having very large breasts makes me feel far too feminine, too much like a ‘woman’, and I don’t identify that way at all. The size of my chest also makes it very difficult to find suitable gender-affirming clothing, such as button-down shirts. Binding is not a safe option for me with a chest of my size.

2) My physical health - I’ve been struggling with back and shoulder issues for many years now because of the size of my breasts and how they sag on my chest. I’ve tried losing weight, but it made the issue even worse as the loose skin of my breast tissue made the breasts themselves more like sandbags! I’ve been through physiotherapy and the professional I saw agreed that the weight of my breasts are straining my back muscles, causing a lot of pain.

[Image description: a cartoon of a sad Vix in blue, hunched over with back pain from their sagging chest. Words around the figure read “must yeet the teet”, “do not want”, “oww ;_;”, “plz make the boobies go away”, “I am so done”, “this is *not* the vibe”, “much ow” and “size H for help”]

I have tried hard to access this surgery on the NHS, but (as many in the UK will know) it’s incredibly hard to get this kind of medical care in the NHS’s current state due to the many governments over the last 14 years. Many patients in the UK with all kinds of different issues are now resorting, like me, to privately-funded surgery. I’m in my early 30s now, and I am hoping to access this surgery as soon as possible so that I don’t develop further back or pain issues in the future and rely less on the NHS. I fear that, left as it is, I’m going to develop further physical health problems.

Having this surgery done privately in the UK is, unfortunately, incredibly costly. It is currently much cheaper to have this surgery done abroad. Thanks to my wonderful trans friends, I have learned that there is a clinic in Madrid, Spain, where the surgery is affordable. Two people I know personally have had top surgery through this clinic, so I am confident that I would be in good hands if I chose to go through this clinic. I speak Spanish also, so that’s a plus!

The surgery itself currently costs around £5000 (GBP) at this clinic. I would also need to stay in Madrid for around two weeks, with another person to help nurse me as I recover (especially in the first week). Then, I would hopefully be safe to fly back to the UK and live my happy new life with less back pain and more gender euphoria!

[Image description: a cartoon of a happy, confident Vix in yellow, imagining life post-op. They are wearing a bright button-down shirt. Vix has a beaming smile and there are sparkles around their head. Words around the figure read “wow”, “very euphoria”, “hecc”, “less back pain!”, “ability to wear an obnoxiously garish shirt and not have the buttons fly open!”, “wow” and “such gender”]

With all this in mind, I’ve estimated that I will need around £6500 (GBP) for the surgery and recovery periods. I may need to change this goal should I learn of additional costs.

I’ve been resisting resorting to crowd-funding for a long time, but I now believe this is the only way I can access top surgery. I know it’s a lot to ask, particularly in this current economic climate, but if you can spare anything - or want to make a donation for a birthday or Christmas gift - I would be eternally grateful to each and every donor.

Thank you so much for reading, and if you can, please share this fundraiser so it can reach as far as possible. It would mean the world to me.

Many thanks once again, stay safe and have a happy Pride month! ⚧️

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