Becoming Kai

Hi everyone! Thank you for visiting my page!  My name is Kai, I like to drink chai, fold paper cranes, and make floral arrangements.  I recently graduated from the SUNY College of Enviornmental Science and Forestry and am very passionate about the environment in which we live and nature. I work at Chipotle where I am empowered to be the best that I can be everyday and I also work at Wegmans delievering flowers.

I began my transition 4 years ago, when I went to college because I was in an environment where I felt supported by my peers. Transitioning is one of the best decisons that I ever made for myself, and compared to who I was 4 years ago, I have come such a long way and I am so happy with the person that I have become. 

With this said, there is one thing that I am missing from my journey.  I am pre-op, meaning that I have never had any surgeries for my transition. I am looking to get "top" surgery, which is a procedure that removes excess breast tissue, and the chest is reconstructed to look more "masculine". The biggest cause of my dysphoria is caused by my breasts, and having them removed would be such a big relief off my chest ;) Due to social norms and general dysphoria, I have bound my chest, and have caused some damage to my ribs and lungs, and I would love the oppurnity to not have to harm my body to pass in public or to just feel like I am the person I was meant to be.

Unfortunately, my insurance will not cover any part of my surgery because even though New York Sate passed a law that stated that insurance companies doing buisness in the state of New York had to cover transitional costs, my insurance is federally regulated, and therefore only has to abide by federal policies. It has been really hard for me to make the money that I need for my surgery, and I need help. I do not need to crowdfund my whole surgery (which is about $8,500), but I need some help to cover the miscellaneous expenses. These expenses include pre-surgical screening, pre-surgical remedies, medications for after my surgery, lodging expenses, etc. Both of my jobs involve a lot of physical labor, so I will have to be out of work for at least a month to recover from my surgery, so I also need to make sure that on top of my surgical costs that I have money to pay my rent. 

I would genuinely appreciate it if you could help me out, whether by sharing my story or giving a small donation to my surgery. Peace and Love <3