Hi! My name is Sam, I'm 20 and live in the Southeast Suburbs of Melbourne (Victoria, Australia).

I have decided that it is time for me to finally get these two weights off of my chest (aka: having life-saving top surgery/ a double mastectomy)

When I was young, I always struggled with feeling comfortable in a girls body. I would freak out when I had to wear a dress, refuse to wear handbags, always craved short shaved haircuts and literally always told my friends I would have rather had been born as a boy. It wasn't just a tomboy phase, something was not right and I was different to other kids around me. It wasn't until I was older that I started piecing together why I felt so awful growing into a young woman... it's because I wasn't one. In 2020 I first started experimenting with my gender identity, trying out labels like gender-queer or nonbinary... but they didn't stick. It was in early 2021 that I realised that I was a trans man and came out to the people around me. I am fortunate enough to say that I have legally changed my name/gender, have been on Testosterone (both sustanon and reandradron at different points) for a year and 4 months.

As I came out, my gender dysphoria became debilitating. I fell into deep depressions thinking that I would never be able to change my body and would always suffer with this. Dysphoria sent me into the lowest of lows before I was on T. I was dysphoric over things others wouldn't think of: my eyelashes, my handwritings, my voice, the way I stand, how flat my hair was, how excited I was, how all my friends were girls, how I was so short, my chest, my fat distribution, the way men's clothes didn't sit right on me (and that's just to name a few). I lost a lot of hope during these times and became suicidal. I didn't want to keep going if I had to keep living in this body. While testosterone has helped with that a lot, it hasn't helped with my chest dysphoria. My chest causes me a lot of grief and is something that holds me back daily. I can no longer leave the house without wearing my chest binder. That means that most days I average wearing my binder anywhere from 8-12+ hours. Think about that over a 4 nearly 5 year period... ouch! It has negatively impacted my health so much, I struggle with feeling short of breath all the time and my ribs are constantly sore. I have had to leave functions early (in tears) because I have pushed my body too far and done too much binding affecting my ribs and stomach muscles. I tried taping to help with my ribs but my skin would react to many tape adhesives.

Why now? I am a young lad, so many may think... why now? I am studying to be a barber/hairdresser and spend many days lifting my arms to style/cut/dry hair. I am determined to make a business that helps uplift other trans/gender-diverse/queer folk by providing gender-affirming cuts in a safe space. I LOVE being a trans barber- It gives me so much life and it is my passion. I want to continue to be able to give my everything to making my business and helping others. So, I want this surgery before I leave TAFE as a qualified hair stylist. I feel like I will be able to really give my full self to my passion and others when I have top surgery. I want to be able to confidently start working full time without having to wear my binder for 12+ hours a day (plus getting hairs in there sucks lol).

What will the money be used for?

The money will be used to cover the upfront costs of my top surgery. I have included an approximate breakdown based off of estimates from the team at IRIS Plastic Surgery:

Estimated Costs for patient with PHI: $7000-$8000

That breaks down into

These are estimates I was provided by IRIS Plastic Surgery and others who have had surgery there. These fees will be paid up front and then Medicare & PHI rebate a portion of that back.

Why I need a hand: I study full time and work part time, but it still isn't enough to be able to afford living expenses and savings. I save as much as I can for this surgery but can't afford to save for all of it amongst paying for TAFE and other expenses such as REGO/Insurance/Testosterone & other prescriptions etc.

I would be over the moon and beyond grateful if you could contribute towards me being able to afford a surgery that will genuinely change my life. Words can't describe how excited I am to be able to wake up one day and not have to think so hard about what shirt to wear, or fight to get my binder on. I am excited to be closer to feeling confident and comfortable in my own body.

Thank you so much for helping me get closer to my most authentic self <3