$6,750 is the magic number. $6,750 is the amount of money sophomore Finn Huslig needs to raise to pay for the surgery that will change his life.

Huslig is a transgender man, meaning he was born as a female and has transitioned so his physical appearance matches that of his true gender identity. Many transgender men undergo what is called “top surgery,” which would give Huslig a more contoured male body type. However, with such a large price tag, Huslig and his family have turned to the power of the Internet and have started up a GoFundMe campaign shared on social media.

“I had been thinking about the GoFundMe for probably a year,” Huslig said. “I decided to do it now because right now is a really good time in my life where I know what I want, I know that I want it, I know I am going to get it. [The surgery is] so I can stop wearing a binder which is basically like a compression tank top which makes your chest super flat. It makes it hard to breathe, other times it makes my back hurt and it’s overall just a bother.”

Despite the initial fear of putting himself out there, Huslig has received an overwhelming amount of support.

“I honestly couldn’t believe it when I first started it,” Huslig said. “I got $30 in the first day; I was freaking out. I thought that was the coolest thing in the world and it was from random people I had talked to once. It was fantastic. And once I Tweeted it out again and shared it out on Facebook again I got up to $330 in a day and I was losing my mind.”

Among the many donors to the GoFundMe are a handful of Manhattan High students, including exchange student and junior Ester Borgarsdottir.

“I just saw it and I felt like I should help him because I’ve known people who have gone through this,” Borgarsdottir said. “I wanted to give my money to something that meant something to someone. I’m really happy for him that he’s doing that for himself and he’s making himself happy.”

With the spike in donations, Huslig has started to think more and more about what his future would be like post-surgery .

“I would be free,” Huslig said. “Going into there and being like ‘this is happening,’ it’s insane. I can’t describe how it makes me feel that I am going to get it. And I might have to take out loans, but not as much as I was going to need to beforehand with everyone’s help. It’s mind-boggling. I can’t even put it into words,” Huslig said. “I can’t even imagine what it’s going to feel like when I finally get it done. When I can finally go swimming, when I can finally wear tank tops, when I can breathe without my back dying is going to be insane.”

Huslig overall wants people to know that this is not an optional thing for him. He says that this surgery would change his entire life, both physically and mentally.

“This will make me happier mentally, it will make life so much easier,” the sophomore said. “Of course afterwards I have a lot more to go but starting here and having [the surgery], especially when I’m so young will be so nice. It’s not healthy to do what I’m doing. Binding is not healthy but it’s what I have to do to feel comfortable and to feel like I am myself. To feel a shirt on my whole entire body, I can’t even explain it, it’s going to be insane.”

To donate to Huslig’s GoFundMe you can find the link on the Mentor’s Twitter, @MhsMentorOnline as well as on his twitter, @Prince_Finnigan.