Meet Jensen
Jensen's story
Annual Trans Surgery Fund recipient
Jensen (they/them) is a 22-year-old non-binary person seeking revisions to a past failed surgery and body contouring. In their life, they have experienced a great deal of disparity as an impoverished, Autistic, and disabled chronic trauma and abuse survivor.
Jensen only receives a small amount of income to survive off of through SSI. They have been persistent and dedicated and have tried every avenue to afford or access the gender-affirming healthcare they need. Jensen's insurance denied their care, and bills were passed in the state where Jensen lives that have made it illegal for Jensen to access care without paying for it themselves. Jensen's reality is that access to gender affirming healthcare simply would not be possible without significant financial assistance.
Jensen is an empathetic, compassionate, personable, deeply caring person who is a passionate activist for intersectional marginalized people's rights and liberation. They are a dreamer who imagines a world built on community care and harm reduction. Envisioning spaces were marginalized people can be free, joyous, connected, safe, have autonomy, and live the lives they desire for themselves.
"I can finally envision the embodiment of freedom, wholeness, comfortability, safety—of being able to share deeper emotional and physical closeness with my loved ones—from alignment with my body," Jensen shares. "I am excited to just exist post-op. I see myself as having a more hopeful outlook and being able to move through the world with more grace, assurance, and pride."
Jensen's timeline
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Award Granted
February 15, 2024
Jensen was granted a Surgery Fund Award! -
Consultation Date
April 10, 2024
Jensen had a consultation with Dr. Danker!
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Care Received
June 18, 2024
Jensen had surgery with Dr. Sara Danker at the University of Miami!
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Update
July 2, 2024
Jensen shared, "Being able to receive financial assistance from Point of Pride to receive my surgery has made it possible for me to access gender-affirming care. I am beyond grateful to have received so much help, and receiving help for my own community makes this experience so powerful and healing for me. For me, receiving Point of Pride’s help has made me feel visible and seen, when I have been looked over and mistreated all of my life. I feel like once I heal from my surgery I will gain the confidence to do things that required visibility and types of confidence that I could not embody. Point of Pride’s help has made me feel like my life is important, that I deserve care, that I deserve to be seen, and that change and hope are possible with community care efforts.
Today marks my two weeks post-operation! The recovery process has been harder than expected. I have struggled with pain, soreness, and limited mobility. Waiting has been difficult and being bandaged has been very uncomfortable.
Although it will take time to heal enough to see my results and I am experiencing a fair amount of swelling still, I am excited to see my results in the future. I will be doing scar treatments and at-home massages on my surgical sites in about a week. I am excited to be dedicated to performing acts of mindfulness and self-care by caring for my scars and other surgical sites. By engaging in these types of aftercare, I will be practicing being mindful and gentle with my body. I will be kind to my body and caring towards its healing, including the emotional healing that will come from treating my body for post-op appearance. I am also reminding myself that I have been through a lot emotionally, cognitively, mentally, and physically to get to where I am right now and it is okay to spend time healing."
Grant details
$18,220 towards gender-affirming care.
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About Body Contouring
On average, it costs $13,500+ for Jensen's care.
- What is it?
- Accessibility
What is it?
Body contouring refers to a series of surgical procedures (often through liposuction) aimed at reshaping and sculpting the body to change its appearance to be more traditionally feminine or more traditionally masculine.
How accessible is it for trans folks to receive this care?
Body contouring is generally considered to be a cosmetic procedure, and so it is unlikely that health insurance will cover the cost. It can also be hard for trans femme folks to find trans-affirming surgeons in their region.