Drama Simpson knew he wanted to change sex at the age of 18.
Since then, it's been a long and, at times, difficult journey to reach the point where he feels comfortable in his skin. But after 16 long years of appointments, surgeries, setbacks and hurdles, Drama is finally beginning to feel settled in his new identity.
Yet it has come at an emotional and financial cost. Drama says he was cut off from any official support a decade ago. Recent events in Drama's life meant he had to turn to crowdfunding for the first time in his life to help with emergency surgery costs. Trips to London and back and time off work had left him a difficult position, Yorkshire Live reports.
Drama, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, said: "It wasn't something that I had wanted to do but I had to swallow my pride a bit and ask for some help because things had become so difficult. I'm having to travel to London because there aren't specialists in our northern hospitals who can help."
Drama was previously a full-time carer for his brother and has more recently taken on care of his sister. Unfortunately, his carer's allowance was stopped in error in September 2021, leaving him without an income for the majority of last year.
Funding and support for his sex reassignment had stopped way back in 2013, leaving Drama in an extremely difficult position. He said: "Drama has ended up being a good choice of name because it has just been one thing after another.
"I've been in for emergency surgery recently and spent time in Leeds and then Hull before I had to be rushed down to London again. I had suspected sepsis and as soon as the doctors in London got wind of it, they said I had to go straight there.
"They wanted me to make my own way down but I couldn't afford it, they funded an ambulance in the end but this is the sort of thing you can face. I wanted my wife to come with me and she has already had to take a lot of time off work, I decided this time we would ask for help."
Drama has been back from his latest stint in surgery for just over a week. He said: "It left me quite weak and vulnerable and it isn't the sort of situation where you want to be travelling alone. I'm still healing.
"Sometimes you have to ask for help or you won't get it. I wouldn't be able to afford going back and forth again and again and it meant my wife could stay with me rather than making two eight-hour trips."
Now recuperating after receiving help from his friends, family and local community, Drama is turning his attention to helping others. He wants to use his platform to help others in the trans community and foster a bit more tolerance in wider society.
He said: "I wanted to speak up too because I think people often have a really different reaction to me than some other trans people. I pass quite easily and people are almost always surprised when I speak to them for the first time about it.
"That reaction is almost always positive but then it should be for other trans people too. That shouldn't really matter, there should just be acceptance."
You can find out more about Drama's fundraising here.
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