Hi all. My name is Keith and I'm FTM, 34 years old. My wife and I spent years saving up for top surgery and finally had what we wanted and headed on down to Florida to get top surgery done with Dr.Garramone. But the biggest worry for us wasn't the surgery itself, but the recovery. We were so worried about what we would do. Stay in a hotel in a strange state in an area we didn't know by ourselves?
My wife would have to do everything on her own if we did that. And the idea of burdening her with taking care of my every need and doing food runs and driving me back and fourth to the surgeon and renting a car and navigating a strange area, all that while I was in pain and drunk on pain meds, made me worry. And what would the staff be like if we went to a hotel? Who knew if they were trans friendly, or how we would be treated. As anyone in the trans community might fear, we were worried about things like being kicked out of our room once they found out we were there for a gender confirmation surgery. Or if they let us stay, they might treat us badly.
Then a miracle came along called New Beginnings! New Beginnings TLC is a non-profit, and offers a safe place for FTM people to recover safely. Run by Leland and Bonnie, this couple opens their home to all of the LGBTQ community and accepts surgery patients into their home. They have several volunteers that help them (and they need it!) With several rooms in the large Florida home, they accommodate several patients at a time. I was there with four other guys, all of us recovering in separate rooms during my 10 day stay.
Let me tell you how amazing this place was! Leland has decades of healthcare experience and was a wealth of knowledge (although made certain to never give medical advice and was professional in telling me to call my surgeon if I had any concerns about medication and other such things.) And he was on the premises nearly at all times, day and night. He told my wife to come get him even if it was 3am in the morning if she was scared or if I was in pain.
The volunteers were also amazing! They cooked us food, (Mallory made us soup and pie!), and cleaned up after us and provided more towels which we constantly needed since we were trying to wash my hair in the sink. They were kind and generous and I heard them popping into rooms frequently to check on patients, especially the single guys with no one there to help them. They made sure guys were taking their pain meds, that they were eating, helped with nausea, made us tea!
We never had to rent a car or worry about navigating. They drove us to and from the airport, to and from doctors appointments and to and from surgery on surgery day. All for no extra charge! They talked to me and eased my fears the day before surgery. And the day after when I was in so much pain, the whole staff was there, rallying around me to assure me I would get through it.
There is nothing like New Beginnings anywhere else on earth. Nothing could have been as wonderful as this experience was, and that's saying a LOT since I was in miserable pain the first several days after surgery. Being surrounded by other trans people who had been through what I'd been through, was priceless. And being around other FTM guys who were going through the same exact thing as me created bonds that I will never forget.
Guys, this is a non-profit. Leland and Bonnie don't make a lot (if any) money doing this. They opened their home to us out of the kindness of their hearts, because they wanted to. Because they wanted to help the trans community. And all the volunteers who work there are just that: volunteers. They have other jobs to support themselves, and then come to New Beginnings after and before their jobs just to take care of surgery patients. Everything they do they do out of the goodness that's within them. And it shows! I felt it the moment they picked me up from the airport and I was scared as hell to be taking such a big step. As soon as I got in their mini-van I knew I made the right choice. I felt like I'd come home.
I highly, strongly, instantly recommend.
~Keith
Atlanta, GA
