Finally getting top surgery!

I'm Errick Jersey and I'm FINALLY getting top surgery!

I'm very lucky to live in MA, where top surgery is covered by insurance. Unfortunately, insurance thinks that the part of my chest that's under my arms is somehow, mysteriously, not part of the breast, so if I want that taken out to prevent complications to healing, infection, or just so it doesn't look really weird to have little wings under my arms, I have to pay for it out of pocket -- $5000 out of pocket.

So that's what I'm fundraising for. Anything above that will go to additional costs I incur around the surgery, or to other health bills.

How do you know me?

Many of you are family, or family friends (the same thing, really!). But you might know me as one of the showrunners at American Repertory Theater, or someone you've worked with at Arts Emerson, Port, the ICA, Oberon, or dozens of other places. I used to be a showrunner for the Slutcracker (though you knew me before my transition if you know me from there!) and I worked with the burlesque community in the early 2010's.

Why doesn't insurance cover this?

Good question. It's technically a liposuction procedure, and I think because of that, they class it as vanity or something. It's honestly arbitrary, because if I don't have it removed at the same time as my other chest tissue, it puts me at risk for other complications. This is something that I'm tremendously lucky to be able to even consider having done; I can't imagine someone with less access to health care, to community support, or even to stable housing trying to face this.

What other health things are you dealing with?

I've been fighting some serious dental issues for a long time. I'm finally able to get to a more or less stable place, but in order to reduce stress on my remaining teeth, I need implants, a bridge, and down the line I may be facing getting bone grafts in my upper jaw due to an infection I lived with for over 5 years. Anything above the cost of this surgery is going to that.

How else can I help?

If you don't want to donate through GoFundMe, you can find me on Venmo or Paypal; otherwise, reposting this helps, and if you live locally, coming to visit me once I've gotten surgery just to keep me company would be incredible. You can reach out to me directly regarding any of this either through GoFundMe, or email me on Gmail - it's just my first and last name, no numbers, spaces, dashes, or underscores.

Most importantly - THANK YOU. I wouldn't be able to even consider doing this without all of you.