This month, Dandelion is starting hormone blockers (Lupron). ARGGGHHHH!!!!
We had hoped for later, but as we all know, everything we don't want will come to us sooner!
At a scheduled appointment for blood work it was apparent that he was entering the Tanner 2 stage of puberty. This is where the medical establishment, in a perfect world, comes in and saves all gender variant pre-pubertal youth with hormones blockers.
Yay! The evils that puberty can perform on your body are being stopped, delayed and being held captive until you are old enough - mature enough - to understand the benefits and risks of hormone therapy and make an informed decision.
We are ever so grateful that this is an option for us. I know that going through puberty as a female would be traumatic for Dandelion.
Even knowing that Lupron has its own caveats and dark side, I am confident in the decision we are making for him. I feel that any physical issues that may arise will certainly be better and easier to cope with than the mental and emotional trauma that developing breasts and getting a period would bring him.
On top of that, Lupron comes with a $500/month price tag (hey, spend it now on delaying the inevitable or spend it in the future on therapy...). Yeah, WOW! Meanwhile, no extended health plans around this home...
We have been incredibly fortunate that the staff at CHEO, upon knowing of my financial situation, made arrangements for the pharmaceutical company to offer compassionate care. Thank you, Brenda in Endocrinology, for making this happen without any delay to Dandelion's treatment and ensuring his well-being!
Allow me to send a shout out to all the staff at CHEO for being so progressive in their management of gender variant youth, along with understanding that it can often be financially difficult for the families involved. Double kudos to the staff for taking it upon themselves, without any request being made by the parent (there I was with no plan and expecting to muddle through and take from Peter to pay Paul...), to ensure that no child falls into the cracks.
*huge sigh of relief*
I will make a concerted effort to post more often because now we are "in the game" - so to speak. This is where the excitement begins!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Natural Born...?
Jenna Talackova being disqualified from the Miss Universe Canada competition is making headlines this week and creating a lot of controversy in the process. The pageant officials state that Ms. Talackova is NOT a natural born female because she was designated male at birth.
What is natural born?
The forums and comments sections of online news groups are running amok with people arguing what natural born really means.
I err on the side of natural born meaning what comes to you, as a sentient being, naturally.
My son was designated female before he was even born...I had an ultrasound at 5 months because the midwives consistently heard 2 separate heart beats and wanted an ultrasound to confirm that I was not carrying twins (I think about those of two-spirits as I write this, hmmm...) and the technician asked if we wanted to know the sex of our baby because she had a clear view. Female...not even out the womb and he was pigeon holed.
At his birth, the midwives officially designated him female - it is on an official piece of paper, now! His father and I never questioned it - in fact, we were in agreement. We had stocked the drawers full of pretty pink sleepers and outfits.
My son was never confused. He was a naturally born male and he acted that way from the moment he was able to show us his personality.
I remember his first Christmas, he was just under a year old. I gave him his first baby doll. He loved unwrapping it. He loved helping me figure out how to get all the ties keeping it in the box off. I handed him the doll and he immediately began slamming its head onto the ground. He gave me a weird look and threw it back and me and toddled over to the Barbie suitcase his sister had gotten...he zipped and unzipped it. He quickly figured out the release to pull the handle out - in, out, in out. He rolled it around, stopping here and there to fill it with knicknacks, small gifts and stocking stuffers. He played ALL day with that suitcase - it worked. The doll did not.
He was barely two when he fought me over clothing. NO PRETTY!
He was naturally born a boy. No doubts, no questions for him. None, now, for me.
So, today, there is Jenna, who is being discriminated against because someone - someone who did not know her and never took the time to get to know her - designated her a male all those years ago.
Yet, with the support of her family, community and the medical establishment, today Jenna can live her life as a woman - heck, even compete in Miss Universe!
Thank you, Jenna. Thank you for putting yourself out there, sharing your story and being classy about it all. Thank you for enlightening a few people - a few less ignorants for my son to come across in his life. Thank you!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Dandelion's Hero...aka Rae Spoon
The hero worship for Dandelion began when he had the good fortune to sneak marshmallows with Rae Spoon and some other campers while at Ten Oaks camp last summer. This is a favourite memory of Dandelions. He then had the pleasure of enjoying Rae perform for the campers. Was your camp that awesome? I doubt it!
This started our family's love affair with Rae and their music. Dandelion was so impressed with Rae that he was inspired to take up guitar.
And, you know what, besides their shared love of guitar, music and sneaking of marshmallows they also share one other thing...they are both trans.
I am impressed with Rae...they are talented, well-spoken and Canadian (don't fault me for my inate love of all Canadian!). I'm glad my son has you to look up to!
Check out Rae Spoon and their music and musings.... http://www.raespoon.com/
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