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Hi! My name is Atlas and I am creating this fundraiser for my upcoming top surgery in early 2019.
As some of you may know, I am having top surgery in early 2019 (date TBD). Top surgery is a gender-affirming procedure that many trans and non-binary folks undergo in order to live life in a more comfortable, accessible way. I am very fortunate that my time on the waitlist has not been long, but this does mean that my partner and I have very little time to save and prepare for the surgery.
My partner and I are trying to keep a very strict budget in order to save for the expenses associated with the surgery, however, I am chronically ill – I have lupus. I have been experiencing some medical issues lately and thus have been unable to work as much as I would like to.
HOW WILL THE MONEY BE USED?
While MSP covers the cost of the surgery, it does not cover travel expenses, accommodations, lost wages during recovery, and certain extraneous medical expenses – this is all detailed below. My surgery is in Kelowna, and my partner and I will be travelling there in mid-October for a consultation. No amount is too little to donate, even if it is only a few dollars!
The cost for accommodations is approximately $70/ night. We will need to stay for 1 night for the consultation, and between 7-9 nights for the surgery, totaling $700.
The cost for gas is $175 each way, totaling $700.
**Because we have to drive to Kelowna in the middle of winter, I am adding a “Flight Buffer” to our total – this is to cover the cost of flights for my partner and myself in the event that we are unable to drive due to weather conditions. Flights are $200 each way, and so the flight buffer is $50 (the difference between gas and flights)
MSP does not cover the cost of a compression binder, which is required for healing. Approximate cost is $100; I will know more after consulting with my surgeon.
There will be other medical costs, such as scar treatment and medications that are not fully covered by MSP or my health insurance. A conservative estimate for this is around $100.
Finally, while I will hopefully be able to receive about half of my usual wages from EI while I am off work, I will still be losing about 50% of my wages for the 6 weeks I will need to recover (depending on my healing, my surgeon may require this time to be extended). We also don’t know how my lupus will react to surgery and how this will impact my healing. The amount of the expected lost income is $2100.
The total for all of the above expenses is $3,750. I have added a buffer of $250 to offset the administrative fees for the website. Alternatively, please email me for my banking information if you prefer to e-transfer me!
WHAT IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO DONATE?
It's totally okay if you aren't able to donate right now! Here are some other ways you can help out:
1) SHARE THIS FUNDRAISER! Please help to get the word out by sharing this fundraiser on social media - give your friends and community the opportunity to help out by sharing this campaign.
2) Consider creative ways that you could contribute. For example, maybe you don't have the cash, but maybe you work somewhere that would be cool with you putting out a donation jar!
3) Offer tangible support. You can reach out to me at atlasralphs -at- outlook -dot- com to arrange tangible support. For example: running errands, dropping off food, playing with the cats/cat-sitting, dropping off a pre-cooked meal, coming over to hang-out on your day off etc. while I recover.
3) Support Vulvacado on Etsy and beyond! I have a small business creating queer, feminist, and vulva-inspired magnets and more! You can support Vulvacado by liking the page on Facebook/Instagram, sharing, and as the holidays approach, consider supporting me by supporting Vulvacado.
4) I am open to making custom pieces, such as lap quilts, decorative stuffed vulvas, or other interesting things as time allows. (Prices are based on the item and detail, and time involved in creating the item)
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Feeling confused about top surgery, recovery times, and all of this other stuff? Here are some great resources about top surgery and what is needed for healing:
https://www.healthline.com/health/transgender/top-surgery#recovery
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