Please, people help me!

Hello everyone,

My name is Aleksei, I’m 26 and I come from a small town in Serbia. I am currently a college student in Belgrade, working on my master’s degree.

I felt I was different since I was just 6 or 7 years old. I felt like my body wasn’t mine, like it should belong

to a boy. I had no idea what that meant, though. Over the years what was “different” got worse and it

started creating a lot of problems for me: at home, in school, with friends. In high-school, I almost got

expelled because the fact I was “different” made me rebellious.

At the time I lived with my mother, and I was secretly researching what was happening to me and why

was I so different from other kids. Of course, at first, I had no knowledge of the term “transgender”, but

soon I learned all about it. I was also able to find other people like me, and even to get in contact with

some of them!

Mom got suspicious about me at some point, but she didn’t know for sure what was happening until I

came home one day and told her I needed a referral for a psychiatrist so that I can start my transition.

And that is when my life really started.

Up until that point I was just a caterpillar, trying to find my way. After a year in therapy I was given a

referral for an endocrinologist and soon after I started taking hormones. This caterpillar is now halfway

through to becoming a butterfly!

Now, three years later, I finally got the referral for the last part of my journey through medical transition - surgery. Because of the current situation with the pandemic, my surgery was put on hold.

Even though I have a job, it’s not a very good one and I’m barely making ends meet. During the pandemic, my town was one of the hardest hit places in the country, which seriously affected me economically. The cost of the surgery in Serbia is around 950e (a bit over $1000), but given the current situation, I’m no longer able to afford it.

This surgery is very important to me, so I would be eternally grateful if you could help me gather the

money for it. Any amount you can spare, every dollar counts!

Thank you for helping this caterpillar tu rn into a butterfly!