All roads lead to Rome

Hi I’m Anton and my story is a little too large to put into a GoFundMe page.

So I’m going to attempt a condensed version.

Three years ago I was terminally diagnosed with stage 4, widespread metastatic cancer-everywhere. The doctor was all chocked up and having trouble spitting his words out, essentially I was at the end of my road. As hard as it was to hear and process, this wasn’t my first rodeo in the graveyard.

You see, I battled with brain cancer through my teens. I had so many surgeries, 13 to be exact & these left me with significant acquired brain injury. But through this experience I learnt Big lessons and grew myself a strong heart and mind. At 26 I set out on my first adventure of independence and among many other things, I discovered how much I was capable of. I achieved so many things and I was so proud of myself but a dark secret was eating away at me.

From the age of 4 I carried a wound bigger than all of my challenges and it was growing deeper and angrier by the day.

At 34 I confronted my demon and I made the hardest and bravest decision to transition from female to male.

It came at great cost financially, mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually…. but as I began to discover my true authentic self for the first time, the sheer joy I experienced was worth all that pain x 10.

Many of my previous physical conditions began to improve and I found true joy and happiness and then “True Love.” I was at the happiest stage of my life until I decided to go to the doctor about an increasing pain in my hip. I never imagined the diagnosis I described in the onset.

As devastated as I was, within 48 hours I’d put on my fighting spirit. Tests showed the cancer had escaped from my breasts when they were removed two years prior. They also revealed I had BRCA2 gene mutation (hereditary breast cancer gene) and that this cancer was oestrogen based. As upsetting as it was this news made me even more determined to not give in. So with the love and support of so many friends and my gorgeous fiancée I completed some gruelling treatments with good results. Then, my brilliant Oncologist determined to get me access to a drug not financially viable for me and as a result the cancer is now 99% dormant.

This new lease on life along with my wife ;) has filled me with purpose and courage to live life to the full.

This brings me to the reason for this Go Fund Me page. I have dedicated my life to gender diversity, advocacy and education. I began educating doctors and nurses in Hospitals and healthcare facilities. I was invited to speak at the 2022 consumer Health Forum, Appointed to the Community Advisory Council of Ahpra, nominated for an Activist of the Year award, and recently I was accepted to present at the World Health Congress in Rome this coming September. The presentation is a brief poster presentation drawing on my experience with Gender Diversity in Oncology. The key message is that every human has the right to Quality medical care which includes compassionate and professional delivery. It’s a great honour and opportunity to have a voice on such a prestigious world stage.

If you or your business are able to donate or perhaps sponsor me to help me embark on this great adventure, then I would be ever so grateful.

Specifically I’m seeking assistance with airfares to Rome and back. Accomodation for 9 nights and conference fee.

I estimate that to be aprox $8000