The things we do to try to be pretty…

Here is what I looked like after having had a tracheal shave, a nose job, and some work done on my chin about two weeks ago. I look and feel considerably better now than I did in the picture! Amazingly my adam’s apple is gone, my nose is much smaller and feminine looking, and I couldn’t be happier. To look in the mirror and not see that horrid adam’s apple anymore is just beyond wonderful. It’s so nice to be able to go out and not have to worry about whether my turtleneck is up high enough or my scarf has fallen out of place. Even though I’m still swollen and bruised I feel a level of comfort out in public that I’ve never felt before. I can’t wait for the swelling to go down so I can see the final result! This is most likely the only gender related surgery I’ll ever have, so this was big for me.

On a sadder note, my childhood best friend who I knew from 4^th grade on was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died less than two weeks later. It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were kids with our whole lives ahead of us. And now he’s gone. It makes you stop and think how quickly life can change and how much we take for granted. You will be missed Mike.