It’s been over a year now since My Transsexual Summer was broadcast on Channel 4 in Britain. It’s insane how time flies! Since then I’ve been part of a club tour around the UK with the rest of the cast, along with attending some quite prestigious events. Back when we were filming in the summer of 2011, I honestly never imagined how much this show was about to impact my life.

Rewind two years ago – I was living in the small, northern town of St Helens, with my mom, in the same house I grew up in. I worked part-time in a little arts and crafts store. I did love that job, and I made some great friends working there. I’ve always loved art and film but I never had the confidence to push for my ambitions, so I settled for retail work in an arty environment.

My insecurities came mostly from a horrendously uncomfortable feeling with my body. I had been denied funding by the local Primary Care Trust for my chest surgery. I’d been on testosterone treatment for about three years at this point… I was confident and happy with how I looked in baggy shirts and hoodies. But beneath the layers was a deformity that I needed to get sorted.

My mom and I have always had a close relationship. We fight like cat and dog but she’s always been there for me when it matters. When I first told her I was going to transition medically she was so supportive and not overly surprised!

When I was as little as five or six I would cry to her saying that I was ‘a boy trapped in a girls body’. My dad, however, didn’t take it all so well. He just didn’t understand and never took the time to. It saddened me because I’m so similar to my dad in so many ways and I just wanted him to feel proud of me! Cheesy, but true.

Then one afternoon I get an email out of the blue, and it’s a television company that had found my video blogs on YouTube. They wanted me as part of a major documentary series following the lives of seven transgender people! From that moment onwards my life began to change dramatically. Not only did I get the chance to meet six amazing people that had similar experiences to me, I got to meet the beautiful Drew-Ashlyn who has become one of my best friends (and is also a regular contributor for Gay Star News).

As filming proceeded over four months, my life changed in ways I never thought it would. The producers wanted to capture the awkward relationship between my dad and I and so we were pushed to spend time together. This forced us to talk about things, so many things that had been unsaid. We actually became close again and he began to not only accept me but be proud of me.

He even helped me set up a fund raising event for my chest surgery, ‘Quest For The Chest’! Which brings me to the next positive outcome… The show gave me the confidence to begin setting up various events to raise the money for my chest surgery. They filmed these events and as the public saw my struggle, so many people generously donated money! Stephen Fry donated and helped spread the word, then Graham Norton gave me the final donation that finished my quest. I honestly can’t thank everyone enough for their donations!

Fast forward to the present – I’m now living in London and studying digital film and video. After all the public attention and the experiences that My Transsexual Summer gave me, I finally have the confidence to really make something of myself.

I had my chest surgery last January in Brighton and I couldn’t be happier with the results! I have a gorgeous girlfriend who is also creative like me; we met as a result of the show but that’s another long story!

Everything has happened for a reason and it just goes to show that when you’re life is getting you down, you really never know what’s just around the corner.

However, my journey is far from over… I’m more determined than ever to achieve my ambitions and get involved with more media projects. So watch this space because I’m certain the rest of the cast and I have bigger and better things ahead of us!

Lewis Hancox was one of the stars of Channel 4 show My Transsexual Summer. You can follow Lewis on YouTube here and on Twitter here.