Help Dylan get life changing surgery

This fundraiser is being run by a friend for Dylan who will be receiving the funds for their surgery. Below is a message from them explaining their situation.

Hello! My name is Dylan, a non-binary trans masculine person living in Scotland, and I am raising money to fund top surgery.

TLDR:

My story

I’ve been going by Dylan since February 2020, and was able to change it legally at the end of last year. The pronouns I use are they/he, and I'm non-binary trans masculine. I’ve been out to my friends as trans for around seven years, and am now known as Dylan by everyone in my life. Even my niece and nephew call me Uncle Dylan. Transitioning has been life-changing for me, as I feel much more connected to myself and the happiest I’ve ever been.

Why surgery?

Chest dysphoria is a huge problem for me. I’ve been wearing a chest binder for years, but find them very uncomfortable as I’m disabled. I’m hypermobile which means my joints are unstable and move too much, which means getting in and out of a binder can be extremely challenging and painful. I’ve had an ongoing hand injury for the last year that also makes this virtually impossible.

While using hormones has helped alleviate a lot of my dysphoria, only top surgery can solve this major part of my gender dysphoria. I have wanted top surgery since before the pandemic, so I have had a lot of time to think about it! I’m in my thirties, so this is not a whim. It’s something I’ve thought extensively about, and am confident it would improve my quality of life. Between dysphoria, my physical disabilities, chronic pain and my autism - which means I’m often overwhelmed by sensory input - currently there is no point in the day where I feel comfortable in my skin. Surgery would solve a huge amount of my daily discomfort, and mean I’m able to participate more in my life. I haven’t ever been able to go swimming with my niece and nephew, and any time I’m in public I’m not able to concentrate fully on the people I’m with, as I’m constantly aware of my discomfort. I feel as though for the last few years I’ve been stuck in a holding pattern, waiting for my real life to start.

Why fundraise?

The NHS waiting lists are enormous, and after four years on the list, there’s no end in sight for me. I’m waiting for a first appointment, but there would be so many more steps from that appointment to get to top surgery that means I would realistically be waiting for many, many more years even if I had my first NHS appointment today. Living with dysphoria drastically affects my quality of life, and so I think it’s essential that I go private for my treatment. This way I can choose to see the surgeon I want, and have greater autonomy over the entire process.

Additionally, I’m autistic and disabled. I have chronic migraine and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome which means I’m unable to work. While my partner and I have been saving, it would take an extremely long time for me to raise the money for surgery alone. As benefits in the UK are low, and I live with my partner so our benefits are reduced, I feel that fundraising is my only option.

How far along am I into the process?

I’ve reached out to gender clinicians to get my diagnosis of gender dysphoria and surgical referrals. I am intending to reach out imminently to my preferred surgeon, but I won’t be able to book a date for surgery until I have my referrals.

We are starting this fundraiser early so that people have a chance to donate, giving me the best chance of raising all the money we need before surgery. There will be updates as we go along!

What this target covers (updated 16th Sept 2025)

In total: £11,000

* At the moment, some of the costs are estimates based on the costs incurred by other people undergoing top surgery privately. These will be updated (and the target adapted) as we get more up to date figures. GoFundMe also takes fees from each transaction which might affect how much we need to raise.

Any leftover funds will be redistributed to other crowdfunders for trans people seeking surgical treatment.

References

This crowdfunder is semi-anonymous for various reasons. If you want to confirm I’m a real person and this is a very real fund, you can reach out to Lizzie Huxley-Jones (who is running the crowdfunder on my behalf) @littlehux on all platforms, or Krish who is @Krishithink on socials.