Help Wren Get Gender-Affirming Top Surgery !

Hi friends and strangers,

My name is Wren . I'm 25, I live in New Orleans with my cat Bobby, and I love art, animation, games, music, magic, and animals. For most of my adult life, I have been struggling against the trans-hostile medical infrastructure of Louisiana-- doctors, insurance companies, and mental health professionals--to get gender-affirming top surgery. Having met years of refusal from insurance providers, I am now trying to obtain this life saving procedure out of pocket. Please read below to learn a little more about my journey, my daily experiences, and why I need help to afford this surgery.

I'm disabled and chronically ill - I have dysautonomia (dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system), which causes many debilitating symptoms such as orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure when upright), chronic pain, fatigue, brain fog, headaches, and lightheadedness. I've also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and hypermobile joint syndrome, in addition to having survived a severe digestive disorder as a small child . In September of 2020 I had a mild case of covid-19 which left me with significant memory and cognitive impairments as well as frequent migraines, and more severe dysautonomia symptoms. I've struggled with my mental health for most of my life, living with depression and anxiety as well as untreated ADHD, which are all still daily issues. I currently take several medications and supplements daily to manage all of this.

Due to all of these factors I'm unable to work , and I'm currently applying for disability benefits - a process I started almost two years ago and have made very little headway with. Like insurance coverage for the surgery I need, benefits for disabled people are made to be extremely inaccessible, and even when benefits are awarded, we still live far below the poverty line.

I've known I've needed top surgery since 2013 , and have been actively pursuing it since around 2016, when I really started to come into my trans identity. When I tried binding for the first time it solidified that decision . However, I have not been able to bind for three years now due to severe chronic pain.

The dysphoria I experience is truly debilitating . It prevents me from feeling comfortable in the clothes I want to wear, from going out into the world when I need to , from forming relationships with people . It negatively affects my posture, which exacerbates my pain, and causes immense distress daily.

When I finally get this surgery, my hope is that I will feel an ease, a lightness, a confidence and a security that I haven't known since before puberty. Whether I am perceived correctly by strangers as trans or not is irrelevant to me. The change in silhouette will instantly allow me to better recognize myself As Myself when I look in the mirror.

My physical health will undoubtedly improve alongside my mental health - I will be able to move my body in ways that feel natural, I will be able to swim without such deep discomfort, I won't have to struggle against the distracting, literal weight on my chest when I'm doing anything at all. Practicing bodily awareness and mindfulness for physical pain relief will be so much less emotionally painful.

Surgery will also be completely life-changing (and life-Saving) in ways that I can't even imagine right now. For years I have had the constant thought that "I can't live like this" - in this dysphoria - and it's true. I can't go on to live the life I want to live, to work on my physical health, to form the relationships I want to form, to be the person I want to be while dysphoria keeps me stuck in such a dark and lonely place. This surgery is absolutely essential to my overall health and wellbeing.

It's been hurdle after insurmountable hurdle trying to get this care. At first it was a lack of support from my family, then lack of information about surgeons and insurance coverage within Louisiana, then unsupportive doctors, therapists, and psychiatrists (who "disagreed" with my identity and refused to write letters recommending me for surgery), and just simple lack of funds. I fundamentally believe that no one should have to go into debt or pay their own money at all for life saving medical care, so I've tried for the last 5 years to push for insurance coverage. Unfortunately, insurance companies, even if required by law to cover trans healthcare, intentionally make it extremely difficult to access this coverage. After many denials and unsuccessful appeals, and because I have no income as an unemployed disabled person, I am reluctantly resorting to crowdfunding.

The overall cost of the procedure will be around $8,000. My goal is to raise $10,000 , and this extra money will go toward transportation, housing, food--basic survival stuff--and any extra fees and expenses that might arise during recovery. I will likely need more time to heal and recover than is standard due to my health conditions, but I should have plenty of support from those closest to me, including family.

I’m hoping that I will be able to reach this goal through the generosity of my community. If you have any extra funds at all , my past, present, and future selves all thank you for your support - you are helping me to survive and overcome one of the most difficult challenges of my life. I'm grateful to you for reading this far - for those of you unable to donate but wishing to help out, it would mean so much to me if you shared this fundraiser as far and wide as possible. Thank you I love you.