My name is Amelia Sara, and I'm a 33-year-old transgender woman living in Kansas City, Missouri. I've been on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for over fifteen-months, which has been a significant key in helping relieve my gender dysphoria. Sadly, my gender dysphoria continues to persist to a clinical degree.Let me tell you a story: I was born in December of 1986 to two wonderful loving parents. They welcomed me into this world as their firstborn son. Little did they know their child had a predisposition to struggle with gender dysphoria. It only took a couple of years for me to see the differences between boys and girls and for me to feel as if something was not right. I was born this way! I wasn't a mistake, nor was I unloved. My parents were great parents who loved me and raised me like their son. I was treated like any other boy; unfortunately, that is where the issues began.Growing up, I had no words for what I felt. I told my cousins at the age of five that I thought I was supposed to have been born a girl. The rejection I experienced taught me to keep my feelings concealed and to try my best to act the gender that God-so-graciously-had-given-me. I was not a happy kid. I tried so hard to feel right and to adapt; however, I consistently met with social difficulties. Puberty came late for me, and what few soft features of my body I had, faded as I grew gorilla hair all over. I was beaten up by my peers, both emotionally and physically. I was not like other boys.Long story short, I finally found words for what I was experiencing at the age of eighteen. I wanted nothing more than to become a girl, but I always felt like it was the forbidden fruit. I kept my wishes within and began exploring crossdressing in private. At the age of twenty-two, I tried to self-medicating hormones but gave up after six-months afraid I would never be able to have children - a dream I eventually gave up on anyway. The coping mechanisms I made got me through the bulk of my twenties, but it was at the age of thirty-one that my gender dysphoria got so severe that I became suicidal. It did not help that I was losing my hair and my health was degrading from years of self-neglect. I saw a therapist for the first time in my life, and after only two sessions, she told me I had a text-book case of gender dysphoria and that she was surprised I had made it this far.By October 2018, I saw a doctor and started HRT. The changes came slowly, yet nonetheless, I finally began to feel like myself in my own skin. But the consequences were enormous, my parents rejected who I am, and I lost many friends. The year following, my wife asked for a divorce and soon found myself living alone. Over 2019, I changed my name and gender marker. I got a job working for Lowe's Home Improvement as a cashier.I've seen significant progress with my transition, and I couldn't be happier with the potential that my body had regardless of my age, however, some things can't be corrected without surgery. I plan on eventually getting some minor Facial Feminizing Surgery (FFS), but since insurance does not cover FFS, I plan on saving up. However, my insurance policy covers Gender Confirmation Surgery (GCS), and I plan on pursuing that first.I'm not even sure how to express how severe my gender dysphoria is around my genitals. They don't feel right; they never did. I'm also afraid that I might not get the results I need. I feel as if I'm stuck with a catch-22. I've obtained both my letters per WPATH requirements and have had a consult with Kansas University. From what I can tell, KU might be promising, but they haven't done a whole lot of surgeries - the nurse claimed they did about 60-surgeries since 2016. Most of the results I saw in their book were decent but still unsettling. Once my insurance authorizes the procedure, I should have surgery in as little as two months.As far as cost goes, my policy covers the procedure at 70%, and I have a $1K deductible and a $6K out-of-pocket maximum. I can expect to pay $6K when all is said and done. I've done all I can do to prepare myself financially by signing up for a $2K flexible-spending-account (FSA) from my work and eventually negotiating a payment plan with KU.However, I have a dream to do better. I would genuinely like to go to Dr. Christine McGinn for my surgery - I need someone who knows what they are doing. Her wait times for surgery aren't so bad; however, she doesn't accept insurance, and I would have to pay up-front. I've calculated needing close to $25K to get started. If I don't reach my goal, I plan on using money raised for going to KU and putting extras towards eventually getting FFS down the road.For my continued happiness in life, I need success here. A botched surgery would be far more damaging to my mental health than going on as I have. I have a plan for recovery and plan on pursuing to further my education. I want to get my life on track as it should have been from the beginning and not have gender dysphoria become as life-ruining as it has been.I ask for your help and generosity in becoming my true self. Every donation would be much appreciated.