There was a lot of, I guess like, having
to get over like hating myself.
Not wanting to be different. I had to get
over that, and you know, just fully
learning just embraced myself was kind of hard...
I was in kindergarten and we had to draw
self portraits and I drew myself in the
most honest way and it was different than what
everyone saw but it spoke to who I was.
I struggled initially with feeling like I
had to lose Katherine in order to have
Jules, almost like a death and that was hard.
Yeah my feelings have changed
significantly now. I'm much more
comfortable with the process I
recognized that she's very happy as
she's moving down this down this road.
His mom knew me from before so she had
asked if I would see her at that time
before Jules transitioned.
So I went there for like a check-up with my weight and stuff
just to get blood work done, then later I found
out she also specializes and helps
transgenders and, it you know,
clicked, like well maybe I should go to her
for another reason.
Probably one of the most difficult challenges he faced was
disclosing to his grandfather, who is a
retired internal medicine doc, that he
would want information about this.
I don't think it became clear to me until
I received the letter that she sent to
all the family members and it was then
that I had no difficulty at all
accepting that fact and as I wrote her
in the letter I loved her as Katherine and
I would love her as Jules also.
His support means everything. I feel like I could
do anything having him, you know, on my back.
But I thought the hardest thing was
the turmoill that she had gone through.
It touched my heart to find that she then by
accepting this had become free and she
felt like that...that life was going to be
worth living again.
I mean we need to care for every patient in a holistic way.
I mean otherwise we are missing our
mission. You know people get lost in the
fact that it's something different, so they
have trouble seeing beyond the fact of
what's going on. Don't miss the mark
there's nothing different about this
patient population than the general
patient population and we got to care
for them as a whole and again we will
make mistakes say you're sorry mean it
ask how you could do better and then
move on and care for the patients.
It's all changed for the good because we
can't all be stereotyped we are all
different individuals and no two people
are exactly alike and we just have to
live and let live.
It's a big thing to hear but I would
just encourage parents to love your
children...period.
I look at it and I'm finally the "happy boy" that I drew so
many years ago, so really the happy boy is
here, you know really...it's me.
He's finally...he's finally here.