Help Sailor get much-needed top surgery!
Donation protected
Hello! My name is Sailor and I am a transmasculine college student. I use they/them pronouns and am majoring in social thought and political economy.
I have great news! I will be getting top surgery on May 14th and it is extremely likely that my insurance will cover it. However, I will still need to raise some money to cover some expenses, including, but not limited to:
-Deductible/Co-Pay (For the surgery itself, the anesthesiologist, pre-op appointment, post-op appointment, etc.)
-Post-Op Binder
-Medication (antibiotics, painkillers, anti-inflammatory, special soap)
-Recovery Time (I don't know how long it will take for me to be okay enough to go back to work - I know from experience that it takes a while for me to recover from surgery, and I ideally want to be able to afford to eat and have a place to live while I am recovering.)
My goal is a flex goal and (hopefully) an overestimate of how much money I will need. This is intentional - I would much rather fundraise more than I need than not fundraise enough and wind up either unable to get the surgery or unable to afford to attend to my basic needs while I recover. Any amount I fundraise that winds up going over what is actually needed to get surgery and take care of myself in the aftermath will be donated to the Trans Lifeline. (https://www.translifeline.org/about)
A little bit of background: I am transgender and have very severe dysphoria around my chest. I have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria three times - each by a separate medical professional. While I do have other sources of dysphoria, those are much easier to manage or afford treatment for. I will be starting on a low dose of testosterone within the next couple of months (I have a consult to do so on February 6th), and that will be covered by my insurance plan. However, my chest has been and remains a major source of pain in my life. I am working to bind less since it is getting harder to bind without adverse effects.
However, my dysphoria is bad and interferes with my daily living. I sometimes have trouble leaving the house, instead opting to stay in bed with my chest pressed against a pillow, and I have stopped exercising because of self-consciousness around having a chest that others perceive as female (it is incredibly unsafe to compress your chest while exercising). I am also seeing a therapist in order to continue to work through my feelings around my gender and presentation and create healthier attitudes around it.
A double mastectomy will improve my life in several ways. It will give me the confidence I have when I bind, without the negative impact on my health and well-being. It will allow me to feel comfortable in my own skin and feel more like myself. It will give me the comfort and confidence to help me live a much healthier and happier lifestyle. And it will give me a body that better aligns with my gender identity, something that drastically improves the mental health of 80% of transgender people. I anticipate improvements in my grades, my social life, and pretty much every sphere of my life. Since socially transitioning, my life has already improved drastically.
Changing my name, changing my manner of dress, and behaving in a way that changes how people receive and interpret my gender has made me happier, more confident, and more at peace with myself than ever. I hope to continue that improvement in my life and mental health, and I know for certain that this is how I want to achieve that.
I appreciate any and all help that comes my way. Even small contributions help a lot, and if you can't contribute, please spread this fundraiser so that other people can see it and help as well.
Thank you so much! <3
I have great news! I will be getting top surgery on May 14th and it is extremely likely that my insurance will cover it. However, I will still need to raise some money to cover some expenses, including, but not limited to:
-Deductible/Co-Pay (For the surgery itself, the anesthesiologist, pre-op appointment, post-op appointment, etc.)
-Post-Op Binder
-Medication (antibiotics, painkillers, anti-inflammatory, special soap)
-Recovery Time (I don't know how long it will take for me to be okay enough to go back to work - I know from experience that it takes a while for me to recover from surgery, and I ideally want to be able to afford to eat and have a place to live while I am recovering.)
My goal is a flex goal and (hopefully) an overestimate of how much money I will need. This is intentional - I would much rather fundraise more than I need than not fundraise enough and wind up either unable to get the surgery or unable to afford to attend to my basic needs while I recover. Any amount I fundraise that winds up going over what is actually needed to get surgery and take care of myself in the aftermath will be donated to the Trans Lifeline. (https://www.translifeline.org/about)
A little bit of background: I am transgender and have very severe dysphoria around my chest. I have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria three times - each by a separate medical professional. While I do have other sources of dysphoria, those are much easier to manage or afford treatment for. I will be starting on a low dose of testosterone within the next couple of months (I have a consult to do so on February 6th), and that will be covered by my insurance plan. However, my chest has been and remains a major source of pain in my life. I am working to bind less since it is getting harder to bind without adverse effects.
However, my dysphoria is bad and interferes with my daily living. I sometimes have trouble leaving the house, instead opting to stay in bed with my chest pressed against a pillow, and I have stopped exercising because of self-consciousness around having a chest that others perceive as female (it is incredibly unsafe to compress your chest while exercising). I am also seeing a therapist in order to continue to work through my feelings around my gender and presentation and create healthier attitudes around it.
A double mastectomy will improve my life in several ways. It will give me the confidence I have when I bind, without the negative impact on my health and well-being. It will allow me to feel comfortable in my own skin and feel more like myself. It will give me the comfort and confidence to help me live a much healthier and happier lifestyle. And it will give me a body that better aligns with my gender identity, something that drastically improves the mental health of 80% of transgender people. I anticipate improvements in my grades, my social life, and pretty much every sphere of my life. Since socially transitioning, my life has already improved drastically.
Changing my name, changing my manner of dress, and behaving in a way that changes how people receive and interpret my gender has made me happier, more confident, and more at peace with myself than ever. I hope to continue that improvement in my life and mental health, and I know for certain that this is how I want to achieve that.
I appreciate any and all help that comes my way. Even small contributions help a lot, and if you can't contribute, please spread this fundraiser so that other people can see it and help as well.
Thank you so much! <3
Organizer
Sailor Cicchetti
Organizer
Northampton, MA