Top surgery [with Dr. Miles Berry] funding
Donation protected
Who Am I?
My name is Will and I am a 21-year-old trans male. I live in Scotland and have been on hormones for almost a year now. I am entering my fourth year at the University of Edinburgh where I study Ancient History and Classical Archaeology. I have a part time job as a Bars Team Leader at the University’s Students Association. I suffer from body dysphoria and this has been an issue that plagued me throughout my studies. Dysphoria has been something that has continuously impacted my time at university both socially and academically hence my haste to finally have ‘top’ surgery in my final year. To put it simply, I would just like to feel a shirt flat against my chest for the first time, and to finally begin to take more steps towards feeling more comfortable and at home in my body. I’d like to be able to go out and study in places for long periods of time, to work a shift but also enjoy social time with others in the same day without having to time myself due to the issues associated with binding my chest for long periods of time.
Top Surgery: Why?
I am seeking to have a top surgery, specifically double incision surgery and nipple grafts with Dr. Miles Berry at his clinic in London. I have unfortunately had to seek private help given the lengthy waiting lists with the National Health Service (NHS). I have already been on the initial NHS waiting list since August of 2018 and it is only in August of 2020 that I was able to have my first appointment with them. The waiting lists with the NHS have always been very long due to the lack of funding but have been worsened as a result of the current pandemic. With current waiting times, it will take over a year before I could even access an appointment for a referral letter. Therefore having the surgery with the NHS is not a viable option for me because I simply cannot wait that long. Maintaining a part time job whilst being at university meant that I was able to attain hormones privately. Thankfully the NHS agreed to do shared care with my private GP before my initial appointment with them directly, which lessened the cost for me. However, although I plan to continue to keep my job and work as much as possible so that I can attempt to make it to my goal of surgery, this job will not fund the costs of a surgery this expensive.
Top Surgery: With Who?
I have done research on the different methods of top/chest surgery and decided that based on my body type and the results I desired I would need to have double incision (DI) with nipple grafts. Upon coming to this decision I narrowed down which surgeons I was interested in and ultimately decided to go with Dr. Miles Berry. I have chosen him because the price of his services are standard for this type of surgery and other surgeons are also operating within this price range. His clinic is in London, which is much more attainable travel-wise as opposed to having to travel overseas. Aesthetically he has fantastic results and has worked with patients of my body type before which has made me even more keen to work with him.
Moving Forward
I will have my consultation with Dr. Miles Berry on the 8th of September 2020. It is then that I hope to have a much clearer and more accurate picture of what the surgical costs will look like. My surgery will hopefully take place at the end of this year, or at the start of next year. With regards to the costs of the surgery, Dr. Berry’s starting price is £6305. However, this will increase dependent upon the amount of time in theatre. It is my intention to fund the travel and the hotel costs whilst I am in London recovering from the surgery for approximately 1 week. In addition to this it is my aim to pay as much as I can towards the surgery itself too. I had hoped to be able to contribute more towards all of the costs myself however, the pandemic significantly lessened my projected income for this summer.
Thank you for reading this and considering donating, it means more than you know pals.
My name is Will and I am a 21-year-old trans male. I live in Scotland and have been on hormones for almost a year now. I am entering my fourth year at the University of Edinburgh where I study Ancient History and Classical Archaeology. I have a part time job as a Bars Team Leader at the University’s Students Association. I suffer from body dysphoria and this has been an issue that plagued me throughout my studies. Dysphoria has been something that has continuously impacted my time at university both socially and academically hence my haste to finally have ‘top’ surgery in my final year. To put it simply, I would just like to feel a shirt flat against my chest for the first time, and to finally begin to take more steps towards feeling more comfortable and at home in my body. I’d like to be able to go out and study in places for long periods of time, to work a shift but also enjoy social time with others in the same day without having to time myself due to the issues associated with binding my chest for long periods of time.
Top Surgery: Why?
I am seeking to have a top surgery, specifically double incision surgery and nipple grafts with Dr. Miles Berry at his clinic in London. I have unfortunately had to seek private help given the lengthy waiting lists with the National Health Service (NHS). I have already been on the initial NHS waiting list since August of 2018 and it is only in August of 2020 that I was able to have my first appointment with them. The waiting lists with the NHS have always been very long due to the lack of funding but have been worsened as a result of the current pandemic. With current waiting times, it will take over a year before I could even access an appointment for a referral letter. Therefore having the surgery with the NHS is not a viable option for me because I simply cannot wait that long. Maintaining a part time job whilst being at university meant that I was able to attain hormones privately. Thankfully the NHS agreed to do shared care with my private GP before my initial appointment with them directly, which lessened the cost for me. However, although I plan to continue to keep my job and work as much as possible so that I can attempt to make it to my goal of surgery, this job will not fund the costs of a surgery this expensive.
Top Surgery: With Who?
I have done research on the different methods of top/chest surgery and decided that based on my body type and the results I desired I would need to have double incision (DI) with nipple grafts. Upon coming to this decision I narrowed down which surgeons I was interested in and ultimately decided to go with Dr. Miles Berry. I have chosen him because the price of his services are standard for this type of surgery and other surgeons are also operating within this price range. His clinic is in London, which is much more attainable travel-wise as opposed to having to travel overseas. Aesthetically he has fantastic results and has worked with patients of my body type before which has made me even more keen to work with him.
Moving Forward
I will have my consultation with Dr. Miles Berry on the 8th of September 2020. It is then that I hope to have a much clearer and more accurate picture of what the surgical costs will look like. My surgery will hopefully take place at the end of this year, or at the start of next year. With regards to the costs of the surgery, Dr. Berry’s starting price is £6305. However, this will increase dependent upon the amount of time in theatre. It is my intention to fund the travel and the hotel costs whilst I am in London recovering from the surgery for approximately 1 week. In addition to this it is my aim to pay as much as I can towards the surgery itself too. I had hoped to be able to contribute more towards all of the costs myself however, the pandemic significantly lessened my projected income for this summer.
Thank you for reading this and considering donating, it means more than you know pals.
Co-organizers (3)
Will McDowell
Organizer
Shy Zvouloun
Co-organizer
Michael Orme
Co-organizer