Gender-Affirming Care Saves Mississippi Man’s Life
December 04, 2024
Ask anyone to name the best day of their life, and you’ll likely hear about weddings, graduations or a child’s birth. But ask Logan Gammons to name his best day, and he’ll confidently tell you: “The day I had surgery.”
The surgery, which the 49-year-old had on August 28, 2024, was a gender-affirming procedure known as top surgery, which removes breast tissue to create a more masculine appearance for transgender and nonbinary people. But the road to surgery was long.
Logan, who is a Missouri native but recently relocated to Mississippi, has struggled for much of his life with debilitating gender dysphoria—the feeling of discomfort that might occur in people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics. He wasn’t aware of the term “transgender” until 2013 when he heard characters discussing it on a television show.
“It was like an explosion in my brain,” Logan says. “I looked up the term, and I was like, ‘That’s my life right there—my whole life.’”
Logan came out as transgender on his Facebook page and faced criticism from friends and family members who didn’t understand. He began binding his chest under baggy clothes to conceal his body, but he still didn’t like the way he felt. Seeing himself in the mirror was particularly difficult.
“I used to have really, really bad dysphoria days to the point where I would want to walk out in front of a vehicle and not think twice about it,” he says.
One Man’s Success Is Another’s Inspiration
When a friend he knew from TikTok shared the story of Micky Petrillo, a 60-year-old transgender man who received top surgery at JFK University Medical Center, Logan knew it was time for action. He found a friend in New York to stay with and made his way to New Jersey to meet with Alyssa Golas, M.D., the plastic surgeon who treated Micky.
“He is from a place with poor access to care, so I really felt for him,” Dr. Golas says. “I could see the effect that years and years of gender dysphoria were having on him. It was affecting his quality of life.”
But before Dr. Golas would perform the surgery, she wanted Logan—a smoker with diabetes who once suffered a stroke—first to improve his health. She made referrals for a team of doctors, including a cardiologist and a neurologist, to minimize the risks of complications.
About four months later, Logan was ready. Dr. Golas performed Logan’s two-hour top surgery, leaving only a small scar where each breast once was.
When he woke up from surgery, Logan immediately ran his hands across his chest and was elated to feel only flatness.
“I think I did that for hours after I woke up,” he says. “And then for another few weeks after that.”
Since the surgery, Logan has had several follow-up appointments with Dr. Golas but is ready to live more authentically back in Mississippi. He also hasn’t experienced a single day of body dysphoria since the day of his surgery, aka the best day of his life.
“I never thought I would see this day. Dr. Golas is truly a lifesaver. There’s no other way to put it,” Logan says. “She is changing lives. And more than just the outside.”
Next Steps & Resources
- Meet our source: Alyssa Golas, M.D.
- To make an appointment with a plastic surgeon near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
- Learn more about plastic surgery at Hackensack Meridian Health.
The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.
