“I never expected to find myself committed exclusively to gender care surgery. In fact, when we were told at my prior facility in San Jose that we were becoming a center for gender care, I was apprehensive. I had obviously been exposed to the procedures during my career and felt comfortable with many of the techniques, but I didn’t think we were up to the task of providing first rate, worthy service. I even wondered if our lack of fluency would clash with those that we were trying to serve.
Nevertheless, it was clear that we were going to need to get ready, so we updated our training, and I did my first consult. I’ll simply never forget it. During the conversation, I asked this 19-year-old if their parents were supportive. They said with remarkable eloquence: “Not really. They’re struggling with this, but I think we’ll get through it.”
Even though I’m anything but a softy, I remember almost choking up. Here was this individual who not only had navigated the endless hurdles of getting to our appointment, but then had the agency to shepherd their unsupportive family. It seemed unfathomable. And then similar consultations occurred. And then more. Soon, I found myself focusing intensely on trying to get surgical results that were worthy of these young adults and those older adults who were finally reaching their goals. I felt there was a lot of improvement to be achieved. The focus only grew.
To make a long story short, when I finished up at the San Jose position and heard that Dr. Mosser was looking for surgeons, I jumped on it. I already knew that he was the go-to individual in advancing gender care surgery. Then I met him and observed his methods. That was it!”