Eli's Top Surgery!

Hi everybody!

If you're here, you might already know me, but I'd like to introduce myself anyway.  I'm Elliott/Eli, an artist and barista living in the PNW!  I am a trans man, and I've reached that point in my life where in order to achieve the quality of life I desire for myself, I need surgery ASAP.   I have wanted a mastectomy since I was 11.  For me, it's a procedure I've dreamed about since before I even knew what being trans was, and now that dream is within reach! Everything is in place for me to move forward with surgery, but I must ask for help in securing the necessary funds.

I'll be transparent about funding here: I'm lucky - my surgery is only estimated to be around $9000 and my insurance is going to cover about $2000 of this.  However, the recovery time before i can return to work is about 2-3 weeks, which means I will be out of work unpaid and missing almost two whole paychecks.  Your donation will not only help pay for my surgery, it will include the recovery time associated with it and ensures that I actually CAN take the time to recover properly before returning to work!  I need $1000 to even book a surgery date, and the rest of the balance must be paid within a month before the surgery itself.  They don't offer payment plans for this kind of thing unfortunately, so I need all the funds secured before I can commit. The actual amount I need for surgery is about $7000.

I wear a chest binder daily to combat the overwhelming negative feelings about my chest, and it absolutely helps!  Unfortunately, it can have long-lasting, severely detrimental effects on your respiratory system, as well as exacerbating daily issues like back pain, acid reflux, shortness of breath, and overheating.  It's becoming unbearable to endure binding every day, but until I can have the surgery I need, it's just an unfortunate necessity. This is a bit embarrassing to admit, but as a young person trying to pay Seattle rent, student loans, and bills on an hourly minimum wage paycheck, I'm usually barely scraping by and don't have a lot of room to save.  It would take me years to get the funds necessary for this procedure on my own, and I honestly cannot fathom suffering through this dysphoria and discomfort for another year, let alone 5, 10, or 20. 

So, all that said, if you are able to kick over $20, or $5, or even just $1, your donation will put me that much closer to living the dream I've wanted for myself since I was 11.  It's unfair that anyone has to use platforms like this to raise money for basic medical necessities, but sometimes it's the only option.  Any amount you can give is a direct investment not just in my procedure, but in my health, happiness, and future as an individual.  And that is something very powerful that I will not take for granted!

If you're unable to donate, that's okay!  I get it, money doesn't grow on trees yet, and we all have to take care of ourselves first.  But, if you feel so inclined, please feel free to share my story and campaign with others.  Even that will mean a lot to me!

Thanks so much for reading, everyone!  

Take care! ☀️

Eli