I have created this fundraiser site for a very particular reason: to raise the remainder of the money I need to get the two dangling weights off my chest. Otherwise known as chest surgery or a double mastectomy, you’re probably wondering why I need such a procedure. Well, the answer is I’m transgender, and this is the next step on my path to transitioning.

I have been out as trans since 2015 when I started my medical transition at the age of 28. But I’m still waiting for top surgery. I’ve now decided to go private, and I’m already on my way to saving up half of the £7,000 that I need. Now I need your help to raise the rest of the funds.

“Why go private?” you might ask. “Why not just access free surgery on the NHS?” I’ve now been on hormones for two-and-a-half years, and although I’m under the care of a NHS Gender Identity Clinic, the wait for chest surgery is increasing. It’s now looking like I wouldn’t be able to access NHS surgery until at least 2020, and that’s a wait I just don’t feel I can do. My chest has a huge impact on my physical and mental health. Every day, I wear a chest binder to hide the body I currently have. It’s tight and uncomfortable, and I’ve been left with upper back pain. On those days I choose not to wear it, I have to cope with the stares of strangers, and the dysphoria that comes with having a body that doesn’t fit your gender identity. I struggle to keep fit, and there are days when it’s easier just not to leave the house.

Top surgery would be life-changing for me, and my aim is to be boob-free by the end of the year. My choice of surgeon is Dr Miles Berry who is based in London.