My name is Natalie and I am a post-op transwoman. Below is the telling of my experience this far with the Hanna Gender Center in Frisco, TX (suburb of Dallas).

Without a doubt, working with the Hanna Gender Center has been one of the greatest experiences and privileges of my life. From the moment I reached out with questions regarding bottom surgery they have been nothing short of amazing. I had reached out to eleven different surgeons, but only one made me feel like I actually mattered. Nadia, the office manager at the Hanna Gender Center, replied to my initial email herself! There could've just been one of those cold, automated responses, but no she took the time to actually respond to me personally. When I called the following day I spoke with her and got to ask all of my questions and got all the answers I needed right away. I scheduled my consultation the same day and the best part was that I only had to wait a week for said consultation! Upon our first conversation I knew this was the place and he was the surgeon for me! I wasted no time in scheduling the surgery. My consultation was in July, my surgery was Dec 7th!

Now you can go to the Hanna Gender Center's website ( www.hannagendercenter.com ) and read all about Dr. Dany Hanna and his team, but I'll tell you right now, it doesn't do them enough justice. First off, the Hanna Gender Center works exclusively with the transgender community! Secondly, Dr. Hanna is an outstanding surgeon, a great guy, and an absolute pleasure to work with. He is easy to talk to, very courteous, knowledgeable, kind, and his bedside manner is impeccable! Dr. Hanna is specialized in the specific surgeries those within the community who are seeking surgery are wanting, and more specifically specialized in Vaginoplasties. Additionally, his entire team is trained in everything transgender. You will never be deadnamed or misgendered! I had the great honor to work directly with Paige, one of the office workers, from pre-op to post-op and even now I am still working with her. She has gone above and beyond, anytime I have a question I shoot her a quick email and I know I will have an answer within 24 hours, heck most of the time it's within an hour! This journey can be very challenging at times, stress and anxiety spikes are extremely real, but she really helped me calm the anxiety on multiple occasions with her kindness. There is not a single person I have worked with at the Hanna Gender Center that hasn't been marvelous! On top of all that, they have just moved to a new office which has dedicated rooms for transfemme and transmasc patients. It's an extra detail that gave me another level of comfort.

Now speaking on the actual surgical experience, life-changingly phenomenal! I had a notion of what it might feel like, what it would look like, the level of pain I would experience, all of the questions and fears one might have with any major surgery. Imagine my surprise and relief that upon my arrival to the hospital all the questions and fears washed away and I was left calm and peaceful. Check-in was a breeze and I sat for maybe five minutes before an intake nurse came and took me and my family to the prep room. After the initial medical questions they always ask, getting into the hospital gown, and some blood work, Dr. Hanna came in and spoke with me and my family. He explained exactly what was going to happen during the surgery and after the surgery. Once he left to prepare I got to meet his surgical team who would be in the OR assisting Additionally, I got to meet the anesthesiologist who would be there the whole time monitoring me. By far and away it was the most pleasant and comforting pre-surgical experience I have ever had. Every nurse, tech, and doctor I interacted with was specifically trained by Dr. Hanna on interacting with his patients. The only time I ever had to use my deadname was when confirming what was on my armband, and even then I was never called anything other than Natalie. The surgery went by without complication. Dr. Hanna got me exactly what I had envisioned and much more. Recovery in the hospital was at times difficult; however, I was surprised at how quick I started feeling better. Of course, pain tolerance is subjective and mine is definitely not great but still, the first day and a half was the only time I needed the heavy duty pain medication. Each morning Dr. Hanna would visit and check up on me and even have a conversation with me. I spent four evenings in the hospital and three evenings in a nearby hotel. A week after surgery I went into the office and had the drains, catheter, and packing removed. Dr. Hanna and Paige taught me how to dilate, explained how to douche properly, and answered all of my questions that had come up in the few days I had been out of the hospital. I left Dallas the next day to return home. On my way home I ran into a couple issues where I had to call the office. Paige and Dr. Hanna both helped me work out the issues and set my mind at ease for the remainder of my travel day.

Recovery since being home has had it's difficulties. Part of getting this type of surgery is understanding and accepting the risk of complications later on in recovery. Once such complication is a recto-vaginal fistula (RSV). Unfortunately, in my case I did happen to develope a small RSV. During my first dilation session of the day one morning I noticed a smell and discolored discharge that concerned me. I immediately called the Hanna Gender Center and they had me pictures of what was going on. Within a few minutes of sending those pictures, Dr. Hanna called me and we talked about what to do. He suggested that I go get a CT scan just to make sure everything was okay, to which I happily agreed as obviously I wanted to make sure everything was okay! Due to me being in another state, Dr. Hanna sent me all of the information I needed to provide my local ER with to get the CT scan. Once the results from the CT came in it wasn't the ER doctor who talked to me. No, Dr. Hanna himself called me to talk to me which definitely made the results easier to hear. He explained what the results were, the options I have for treatmemt, and what the next steps were. Although I was rather distraught, the simple fact that he called me directly was so incredibly comforting. He even got me to laugh because after he shared the results one of the very first things he said was to not blame myself and I like to believe it's because he knows darn well that I was! Complications can happen. It's a 50/50 chance, like most things in life. It's a risk I knew going in and even now it doesn't change how I feel about the surgery. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

So all of this is to say, from start to finish the process was made simple, stress free, and exciting. Every step of the way towards surgery was filled with excitement and joy. Every step since the surgery has been educational and still exciting. I honestly can't imagine having gone with anyone other than Dr. Hanna. I will forever be grateful to him and his team for becoming apart of my transition and helping me take a life long dream and make it reality. I already have plans to return for top surgery in the not to distant future.

If you are looking into the different surgeries, I emphatically recommend reaching out to the Hanna Gender Center! I promise you, you will not be disappointed!