Blair's Hope for Surgery
Donation protected
Hey!
My name is Blair Curtis and I am an 18-year-old transgender man who lives in a small community in Newfoundland. Many may have seen me in The Western Star, or heard on local radio stations that I have created my very own transgender support group in Corner Brook along with the help of my mom. Currently, I am working two jobs to try and save money to get my much needed Top Surgery, while waiting to start University in September 2018 to which I will be studying psychology.
So, what does it mean to be transgender? Quite simply, it means that I am a man that was not born in a male body. My chest is not as flat as most cisgender men, which does not allow me to feel comfortable in my own skin. Often, it makes me feel like I am not “man enough.”
In order to suppress my body dysphoria, I wear a chest binder, which is a tight-fitting vest that squeezes my chest. This vest makes my chest appear flatter and more masculine. While my binder allows me to feel as though just for a short time that my chest is flat; it is actually pretty painful to wear, causes you to become extremely warm all the time, can't be worn with certain shirts, can cause pneumonia or fractured ribs, and can only be worn for 8 hours at a time while being very uncomfortable. It also prevents me from being able to swim on hot summer days due to it restricting my breathing so much that it causes extreme pain. Therefore, I am saving to try to have my much needed top surgery. The official medical name for this surgery is Double Incision Bilateral Mastectomy. The goal of this surgery is to reconstruct my chest, giving it a more masculine appearance. This surgery would rid me of a literal and figurative weight off my chest.
However, top surgery is not as accessible as the testosterone I have taken for almost a year and holds a huge financial burden. While I am saving every dime I can from working two jobs, I know I won't be able to have surgery in a reasonable time period by myself.
COST BREAKDOWN:
$8,000 = surgery cost
$1,200 = travel cost to Toronto (for both myself and my mom)
$300 = rental car cost
$1,386 = hotel cost
~not including any costs for food, medications, or surgical supplies I may need~
In the past, I had a lot of trouble asking for help but I know now that it's not wrong to do so, as at some point in our lives everyone will need some help from others. Please help me achieve the body I was meant to have. You can donate whatever you can, every dollar counts. However if you cannot donate, sharing this campaign helps too! Anything and everything is appreciated as this surgery will finally free me. I'll continue to save and keep you all posted.
Please note if you would like to donate in person or via e-transfer instead you can email me at [email redacted]
Thanks for reading!
If by some miracle I raise more than what I need for my surgery I will donate the remaining to our local transgender support group Parents of Trans and Gender Diverse Kids - NL to help give back to our local trans community.
When sharing feel free to use #BlairsDreamSurgery
My name is Blair Curtis and I am an 18-year-old transgender man who lives in a small community in Newfoundland. Many may have seen me in The Western Star, or heard on local radio stations that I have created my very own transgender support group in Corner Brook along with the help of my mom. Currently, I am working two jobs to try and save money to get my much needed Top Surgery, while waiting to start University in September 2018 to which I will be studying psychology.
So, what does it mean to be transgender? Quite simply, it means that I am a man that was not born in a male body. My chest is not as flat as most cisgender men, which does not allow me to feel comfortable in my own skin. Often, it makes me feel like I am not “man enough.”
In order to suppress my body dysphoria, I wear a chest binder, which is a tight-fitting vest that squeezes my chest. This vest makes my chest appear flatter and more masculine. While my binder allows me to feel as though just for a short time that my chest is flat; it is actually pretty painful to wear, causes you to become extremely warm all the time, can't be worn with certain shirts, can cause pneumonia or fractured ribs, and can only be worn for 8 hours at a time while being very uncomfortable. It also prevents me from being able to swim on hot summer days due to it restricting my breathing so much that it causes extreme pain. Therefore, I am saving to try to have my much needed top surgery. The official medical name for this surgery is Double Incision Bilateral Mastectomy. The goal of this surgery is to reconstruct my chest, giving it a more masculine appearance. This surgery would rid me of a literal and figurative weight off my chest.
However, top surgery is not as accessible as the testosterone I have taken for almost a year and holds a huge financial burden. While I am saving every dime I can from working two jobs, I know I won't be able to have surgery in a reasonable time period by myself.
COST BREAKDOWN:
$8,000 = surgery cost
$1,200 = travel cost to Toronto (for both myself and my mom)
$300 = rental car cost
$1,386 = hotel cost
~not including any costs for food, medications, or surgical supplies I may need~
In the past, I had a lot of trouble asking for help but I know now that it's not wrong to do so, as at some point in our lives everyone will need some help from others. Please help me achieve the body I was meant to have. You can donate whatever you can, every dollar counts. However if you cannot donate, sharing this campaign helps too! Anything and everything is appreciated as this surgery will finally free me. I'll continue to save and keep you all posted.
Please note if you would like to donate in person or via e-transfer instead you can email me at [email redacted]
Thanks for reading!
If by some miracle I raise more than what I need for my surgery I will donate the remaining to our local transgender support group Parents of Trans and Gender Diverse Kids - NL to help give back to our local trans community.
When sharing feel free to use #BlairsDreamSurgery
Organizer
Blair Curtis
Organizer
Corner Brook, NL
