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WWaattcchh TThhiiss TTrraannss TTeeeennaaggeerr FFiinndd OOuutt SShhee CCaannFFiinnaallllyy BBeeggiinn HHoorrmmoonnee TThheerraappyy“This was it, this was the most pivotal turning point in her life, and we both knewit.”

posted on Sept. 28, 2015, at 10:40 p.m.

SSaarraahh KKaarrllaannBuzzFeed News Reporter

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EErriiccaa MMaaiissoonn,, aa mmootthheerr ooff ffiivvee ffrroomm DDeettrrooiitt,, ssuurrpprriisseedd hheerrttrraannssggeennddeerr ddaauugghhtteerr CCoorreeyy wwiitthh hheerr ffiirrsstt ddoossee ooff hhoorrmmoonneess ——ssoommeetthhiinngg tthhee 1144--yyeeaarr--oolldd hhaadd bbeeeenn wwaaiittiinngg oovveerr ttwwoo yyeeaarrss ttoorreecceeiivvee.. SShhee mmaannaaggeedd ttoo ccaappttuurree tthhee eemmoottiioonnaall mmoommeenntt oonn vviiddeeoo::

youtube.com

According to her mother, Corey is usually busy riding her pennyskateboard, playing Call of Duty on her Xbox, and obsessing overmakeup. "She has more than I ever had my entire life," Erica toldBuzzFeed News. But this particular day was different. This was the dayCorey would be permitted to begin hormone therapy.

Transgender Teen Surprised With First Dose of Hor...

IInn tthhee vviiddeeoo,, EErriiccaa iinnssttrruuccttss hheerr ddaauugghhtteerr ttoo rreeaacchh bbeehhiinndd aaccuusshhiioonn aanndd sseeee wwhhaatt’’ss tthheerree ffoorr hheerr.. CCoorreeyy kknnoowwss ssoommeetthhiinngg iissuupp,, bbuutt ppllaayyss aalloonngg aanndd ffiinnddss aa mmyysstteerriioouuss bbaagg..

BBoottttoomm:: youtube.com

““II ccoouulldd tteellll sshhee rreeaallllyy hhaadd nnoo iiddeeaa wwhhaatt wwaass hhaappppeenniinngg,,”” EErriiccaassaaiidd.. ““II wwaass vveerryy aannxxiioouuss aanndd ccoouullddnn’’tt ssttoopp ssmmiilliinngg..””

TToopp:: youtube.comBBoottttoomm:: youtube.com

IInn tthhee vviiddeeoo yyoouu ccaann sseeee tthhee mmoommeenntt CCoorreeyy rreeaalliizzeesswwhhaatt’’ss iinnssiiddee tthhee bbooxx.. ““SShhee ssqquueeeezzeedd mmee,, aanndd II ssttooppppeeddtthhee ccaammeerraa ssoo II ccoouulldd hhuugg hheerr bbaacckk.. NNeeiitthheerr ooff uuss lleett ggoo ffoorrwwhhaatt sseeeemmeedd lliikkee aann eetteerrnniittyy..””

TToopp:: youtube.comBBoottttoomm:: youtube.com

The moments after the recording stopped were emotionalfor both Corey and her mother. "We were both crying andshaking. She literally took my breath away, as she hasnever given me a hug like that before. I have never felt somuch love from her than that moment. It was a mixture ofpure joy, and relief from us both."

““TThhiiss wwaass iitt,, tthhiiss wwaass tthhee mmoosstt ppiivvoottaall ttuurrnniinngg ppooiinntt iinnhheerr lliiffee,, aanndd wwee bbootthh kknneeww iitt,,”” EErriiccaa ssaaiidd ooff tthheeeemmoottiioonnss ccaappttuurreedd iinn tthhee vviiddeeoo..

At the hospital right before the Supprelin Implant was placed.

TToopp:: Courtesy of Erica MaisonBBoottttoomm:: Courtesy of Erica Maison

Erica told BuzzFeed News that Corey was alwaysfeminine, even from the time she was very young."She loved to dress in high heels and dresses. Inpublic she wore boy clothes — I just assumed shemight be gay."

When Corey was in the fifth grade she was bullied sobadly her mother made the decision to pull her out ofpublic school and begin homeschooling. It wasn't untilCorey was 11 years old that the mother-daughter duocame across a video of transgender YouTuber JazzJennings and everything suddenly clicked. "She said,'Mom, I'm just like her, I AM a girl.'"

Corey's 14th birthday celebration

WWaanntt ttoo qquuiicckkllyy ccaattcchh uupp oonn tthhee nneewwss?? GGeett tthhee BBuuzzzzFFeeeedd NNeewwss aapppp..

GGeett tthhee BBuuzzzzFFeeeedd NNeewwss aapppp

TToopp:: Corey and her mother, before her transition began.

Once she was at home and free to be herself,Corey started gaining confidence and begandressing like a girl in public — which wasn't alwayseasy.

"Her hair was still very short, and she still lookedlike a boy. People would give her dirty looks, andtake pictures of her with their cell phone cameras,"Erica said. "They would laugh, and point, andstare. I told Corey, 'Every time someone pointstheir phone at you to take a picture, you turn andsmile and strike a pose!' That really boosted herself-esteem. I wanted to teach her to turn anythingnegative into something positive."

TToopp:: Courtesy of Erica MaisonBBoottttoomm:: Courtesy of Erica Maison

Erica began the search for a therapist thatspecialized in transgender children to helpthe family through the process of Corey'stransition. Eventually she was directed to thegender clinic at Lurie Children's Hospital inChicago, which was five hours away fromtheir home. "At that appointment our liveswere changed forever," Erica said.

Corey was given a puberty-suppressingimplant just a few months later. "It's usually afight to get the insurance to cover it forgender dysphoria, and we were fullyprepared to write letters, make phone calls,whatever it took to get it covered, as it costs$21,000 just for the implant — that didn'tinclude any of the doctor or hospital fees forplacing it surgically," her mother said of theprocess. The family was informed that theprocedure would be fully covered by theirinsurance.

Facebook: erica.maison.50

The family's therapist, along with themedical team in Chicago, determined thatCorey was ready to start hormone therapyin August 2015, as she would be 14 yearsold. "All we had to do was wait for thetherapist to send over the 'readiness' letterto Chicago. We waited, and waited, andwaited," Erica's mother said of theprocess.

On Sept. 24, Erica finally received a phonecall from the pharmacy letting her knowthe estrogen prescription was ready to bepicked up. "It was so surreal. I wasshaking and crying the entire trip to thepharmacy. I was trying to think of the bestway to tell her that the day she had beenwaiting two and a half years for was finallyhere."

EErriiccaa hhaass rreecceeiivveedd nnootthhiinngg bbuutt ppoossiittiivveerreeaaccttiioonnss ssiinnccee ppoossttiinngg tthhee vviiddeeoo ttooYYoouuTTuubbee aanndd FFaacceebbooookk.. ““II kknneeww II wwaassttaakkiinngg aa cchhaannccee ffoorr nneeggaattiivviittyy wwhheenn IIsseett iitt ttoo ppuubblliicc,, bbuutt II ddiidd iitt aannyywwaayy,,”” sshheessaaiidd..

Facebook: erica.maison.50

CCoorreeyy’’ss mmootthheerr bbeelliieevveess tthhaatt iiff tthheevviiddeeoo ccaann hheellpp eevveenn oonnee cchhiilldd,, aannyyaammoouunntt ooff nneeggaattiivviittyy wwiillll bbee wwoorrtthh iitt..

"I think one of the biggestissues with our society today isthat people just don'tunderstand what beingtransgender actually means. Iwant people to watch thisvideo, and see the rawemotion of a transgender childthat can finally live her life theway she feels inside. I wantpeople to see this, becausemaybe it will open their eyes.Open their eyes to anyonewho's different. Maybe makethem realize that people whoare transgender are peoplejust like them, but also peoplethat are at much higher risk forviolence and ridicule, oversomething they had no choicein. I promise you that no childwants to be made fun of, nochild ever wants to be hurt, orpicked on. No child would everchoose to be transgender, it is100% how they are born."

Sarah Karlan is the Deputy LGBT Editor for BuzzFeed News and is based inNew York.Contact Sarah Karlan at sarah.karlan@buzzfeed.com.

VViieeww RReessppoonnsseess

Courtesy of Erica Maison

““WWee aallll jjuusstt wwaanntt ttoo bbee lloovveedd aannddaacccceepptteedd bbyy ootthheerrss,, aanndd tthhaatt iiss aallllII wwaanntt ffoorr mmyy ddaauugghhtteerr,, ttoo bbee lloovveeddaanndd aacccceepptteedd ffoorr wwhhoo sshhee iissiinnssiiddee..””

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WWaattcchh TThhiiss TTrraannss TTeeeennaaggeerr FFiinndd OOuuttSShhee CCaann FFiinnaallllyy BBeeggiinn HHoorrmmoonnee TThheerraappyy

IInn TThhee NNeewwss TTooddaayy

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