Help Von get some things off their chest

I am fundraising for my life-saving, gender-affirming top surgery.

I have wanted surgery to reduce the size of my chest for fifteen years, since I was 14. In my early 20s I was declined breast reduction surgeries through the public system 5 times before I was told to stop trying.

Six years ago I began considering top surgery. My chest causes me physical and emotional discomfort everyday, and has done for more than half of my life. My chest has greatly impacted the way I move through the world, the way people treat me, expectations people have of me and has dictated many choices I’ve made to try to control perceptions of me so that I can live as safely as possible. My large chest has caused me to feel unsafe in public since the age of 12 and has been a major factor in my mental health journey.

The barrier has always been financial. It is not possible for me to access free top surgery through the public system.

I have already had my first consultation which cost me $430, and then received a quote for $38k, which was significantly higher than other quotes.

I will now need to have a consultation with a new provider which will cost $475. I've been given a quote between $23-25k.

I have been able to save, but I still need help to reach my goal.

Any donations will mean the world to me. This surgery will help to make my body my own and enable me to live my life how I want to live it (with less back pain, better posture, more confidently and most importantly, in button-up shirts).