| The Fast Track When I returned home I was very eager to get the ball rolling. I called my therapist to inform her of my desire to get on the waiting list in Montr�al. She said we would have to discuss it at my next appointment. In the meantime there was plenty to do, like getting my name legally changed. Having my name legally changed and then changing everything in my name (driver's license, social security, credit cards, insurance, etc.) proved to be very laborious. Getting people to refer to me as Stephanie and use the proper pronouns was a far more difficult undertaking. I think it was the hardest on my family. For the most part the people I was associated with through business seemed to take it all in stride. There were many heartwarming moments involving people who made the effort to offer their support. Letting go of Stephen was a hardship for my family. I was relentless in correcting them whenever they slipped. The important thing was that they made a concerted effort to change, but old habits were hard to break. It took over three months for my therapist to write the letter for me. I thought she was being very cautious and conservative in her approach to my desire to have SRS. She kept telling me I needed to see her more often and there was so much to be done before I could have the surgery. I was only seeing her about once a month. She did realize that I was in an ideal situation for having the SRS. My life had few complications and I was totally focused on taking the final step toward womanhood. She finally gave me the letter in the fall of 2002. I didn't read it until I got home. What was in it totally surprised me. She wrote the letter as a full recommendation to have the SRS. I was curious how many times I had been to see her. After a little research, I realized there I was with a letter in my hand after seeing her only nine times in a matter of sixteen months. That just didn't seem possible. I put my letter of recommendation and medical history in the mail to Montr�al. Then I set out on getting the second letter from another therapist. That turned out to be an uncomplicated task. I met with another therapist soon after. She agreed to write the second letter for me after only one visit. She wanted me to come back for the letter after she had conferred with my primary therapist. In the meantime I talked to Montr�al about about my status and they told me I was all set except for the second letter. As soon as I forwarded that letter they could put me in their schedule. It took a few weeks to get my second letter. I rushed it up to Dr. M�nard and crossed my fingers. I was told their schedule was full for 2003. After the holidays they would give me a date for 2004 and consider me for 2003 if they had any cancellations. I was anxious about the wait. At the same time my transition seemed to be moving along very briskly. I felt like I was on the fast track. I could only hope that I would be offered a cancellation in 2003. The thought of waiting another year was intolerable. I talked to Claudette in Dr. M�nard's office in December. She told me both doctors went on holiday for most of the month and when they got back after the first of the year the schedule would be made. I reiterated my desire to take any cancellation, at any time, with either doctor. She told me she would be in touch with me sometime after the new year with the schedule for 2004. I'm not a patient person once I've made my mind up to do something. All I could do was await the new year and hope that somehow I would find my legs in those stirrups in Montr�al awaiting the biggest moment of my life. I could only hope it would be sooner and not later. Back Next |