They say the way to start a fundraiser is to tell a good story. I'll certainly try my best.

I'm Elijah, or Eli for short. I've officially been out as a trans man since I was 21, but I've been living as Eli since I was 16- before I was the roaring fire, I was a handful of sparks, fighting to become a flame. I'm an English teacher, and proud of it. I finished my training at Cambridge in July 2021, and now teach English and Sociology in an Alternative Provision in West London. I've never felt more proud to be myself than when I've been bouncing up and down, excitedly talking about analysis skills and Renaissance writing at the front of a classroom, or helping teenagers believe that they are worth the time and effort to live a happy life. I'm also a witch, a writer, a campaigner, a gamer, a nerd, a boyfriend, a brother, a son and many, many other labels.

But at the moment, I can't look in the mirror without seeing someone foreign. My dysphoria has always been the worst in regards to my chest. Last time I checked I was a 42DD, much to my horror. My binders do a wonderful job, but they cannot remove the raised bump of my chest which leads to more people assuming I'm a lesbian than a man. I haven't been able to wear anything but baggy shirts since puberty, and most photos of me have to be above the shoulders or at an angle that covers my chest in some way or another. I want to be able to live my life without thinking about the way I look- to be able to not think about my chest because its flatness is a normal part of my life, not an unachievable aspiration. And to do that, I need top surgery.

After waiting for 6 years, I am finally underneath a Gender Clinic within London. However, I know my chances of getting top surgery with them are limited by my weight, which due to a mix of PCOS and Atypical Anorexia, isn't anything I can resolve to the level they would want (though I will still be exercising and eating as healthily as I can in order to prepare!). However, if I can raise the money, I can go see Dr Ioannis Ntanos, and get the surgery that I've known for years will change my life for the better. My students look to me as a role model. Please help me have that same confidence in myself, and allow myself to look in the mirror for the first time in years without seeing a stranger look back.