Help Lisa Get Something off Their Chest

We are honored to support our beloved friend & community member Lisa in getting gender affirming top surgery. Everyone deserves to get their needs met. 

Surgery is scheduled for April 4, 2024. We are raising $15,000 which will cover the surgery itself ($12,000), physical therapy ($2500), medical supplies and accessibility aids ($250) and additional in-home support while they recover ($250). Paying out of pocket means Lisa gets to choose exactly what kind of care they receive. Thank you in advance for making this possible.

From Lisa:

My whole life I have been misgendered. By teachers, kids at school, people in public restrooms, gas station attendants, bullies, police… I’ve looked at that as Trauma most of my life. And it is.

The past couple years, the crockpot in my brain has been simmering with the idea that those people saw me. They knew I was non-binary, that i was queer, a Trans person - before I even did. For sure, long before we had the words for who I am. They knew.

When I decided to get top surgery at 54 years old, my options were slim. Even though I live in a state where gender affirming care is covered by Medicare & Medicaid, it’s very difficult to find offices that are both: not fat phobic, and take my insurance. We finally found an office in Spokane - a 5 hour drive and over a year before i could even get a consult appointment on the books. I booked an intake. (That was almost a year ago and I just canceled the appointment last week.)

My friend Vito suggested asking the community to help, so I could “self pay” and go to the office I really wanted, get seen sooner, and get the best possible care. My friend Amanda backed that idea up, saying that people loved me and would support this, and that she’d love to help. Then Aria, who has been my wingman, said IT’S YOUR TURN. My home town friend Sarah joined the team. Nomy holds down this effort like breathing. Thank you inner circle!

Aria and I set the hurdle of money aside, and just looked at the best offices closest to Olympia that weren’t fat phobic, that had good reviews on social media with photos. We found an office 25 minutes away that seemed perfect. I think we booked a 2 months out consult before I realized that the surgeon was someone I was a fan of and followed on TikTok. It seemed too good to be true! Nomy brought me to the consult and We booked an April 4th surgery.

There’s a Trans-owned physical therapy office here in town where I will start pre-op care in January, and continue til at least early June. When i made that decision, that was the first time I cried about this. I was overwhelmed that I’m really getting top surgery, and that I’m actually able to line up the best possible care. This has not been my life experience so far, being Poor, having survived medical trauma. Everyone deserves the best care. I hafta keep telling myself that. I cried because following through with this plan, means that I do, indeed deserve this Collective Care.

When I made the decision to collectively “self pay,” I knew it meant I would have to be public about this. I could no longer hold the surgery close to my chest (still punny). That gave me pause. I do know that having Love Dollars of my family and community is gonna help me know that THIS BODY IS WORTHY.

I am leaning into the warm embrace of ((you)) to help pay for this necessary gender affirming surgery and aftercare. Thank you for radically redistributing resources my way. This is one ask in a lifetime of making sure people’s needs are met, as best We can. This feels vulnerable. Thanks for believing in me.

With the Ancestors on my side, 

Lisa

bio:

Lisa Ganser is a white, Disabled, Non Binary, formerly UNhoused Poverty Scholar and artist who tends to Squaxin land. They are a sidewalk chalker, a copwatcher, a dog walker and the Daughter of a Momma named Sam.

Lisa published a book called What’s My Address? and it is available on POOR Press.