The Daughter I Never Knew I Had

A daughter is a gift of love. 
                        ~Author Unknown


What if life went on as usual, raising three boys and seeing them all get married and start a life of their own; and then one day you come to find out you had given birth to a daughter, but never knew it?  This is what happened to Mr. Cottage and me.  I finally got to meet this new daughter of ours and we've had a number of Girls' Day out since our very first meeting...

I found out her name is Nicole.  Funny, because if we would have had a daughter, that's what I was going to name her.  I also found out that she was born on the same day as our middle son.  But unfortunately, I never really got to see this woman grow up as a little girl.  Confused yet?  You can read my previous post by clicking right here.  The truly amazing thing through all this, Nicole had married her best friend, Lori, while she was a he.  I read somewhere that there's a gender birth defect of some form or another in 1 in 1500 births!  THAT'S A LOT, yet people rarely discuss this.  In fact, most people are rather uncomfortable to talk about gender.  The amazing thing through all this, Lori not only is supporting Nicole as she transitions, but loves her unconditionally... 

Nicole knows she’s female, but to look in the mirror and see a man’s body has made her miserable her entire life.  This in turn has led to severe depression and suicidal thoughts.  She has been diagnosed with severe gender dysphoria and that’s one of the reasons why 41% of transgender people attempt or commit suicide.  As Nicole puts it "WHY WOULD ANYONE CHOOSE TO DO THIS?"  By committing to become a woman, she's putting her life at risk because of all the hatred in the world towards people who are transgender.  She risks being assaulted and discriminated against, especially from the insurance companies.  The AMA has recognized this as a real medical condition, but insurance companies refuse to pay for it, saying that this is all for cosmetic reasons...

This is why we've started up a fundraiser for Nicole to help her achieve her goal of having her final surgery.  Nicole also is hoping to find a documentary team so she can help educate the public about being transgender, as well as sharing with other transgender people that suicide does not have to be an option.  Please go to her fundraiser site by clicking on the link below.  Nicole did her own video and editing herself.  We will accept any amount to help save Nicole's life.  PLEASE HELP us raise our goal.  You can contribute anonymously and PayPal is available.  We have had over 1200 people look at her fundraising page.  If everyone who visited would have donated only $5, she would have had $6000 or at $10 each, she would have had $12,000.  See how every little can help. 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/untitled-documentary-nicole-s-story-a-transgender-woman-s-journey/x/6226655#home  

We have also started up an online art sale to raise money for Nicole's cause.  There's a lot of variety, price points and beautiful art.  Please come over and see what's available   https://www.facebook.com/groups/artsalefornicolescause/ 
  

 

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND BLOGS!  HELP SAVE A LIFE!