To those who need an angel,

To those who need an angel,

I feel it extremely important to mention that during my RLT and SRS, Dr. Aviva Sinvany-Nubel put forth a tireless, phenomenal effort on my behalf throughout; far exceeding the effort any therapist or transition counselor I've ever known or heard of nationally, with a skill level that can only be acquired by having an incessantly driving love for what she does.

Had she not appeared in my life, I would have been left to at least partially depend on the minimally ts-specialized, ts-inexperienced, “gender friendly”counseling resources in my locale, making my life unimaginably more difficult, dangerous, expensive and time consuming. I quickly found that driving 240 miles to see her or spending a few minutes with her on the telephone was far more beneficially productive than seeing any local counselor for weeks on end.

Most often she immediately knows from experience whether a problem is transgender sourced or not, (which is an immense diagnostic barrier for therapists who have not transitioned a multitude of transsexuals), she continually develops very close relationships with a cadre of ancillary specialists, ((we produced enough test results to convince my SRS surgeon that my mild diabetes was under control and not an operative risk), (What therapist do you know who is willing to take on that liability, much less succeed at it?)), and above all, once she commits, she truly cares, and will work endlessly on your behalf. (I will never forget how much writing, communicating and testifying she did to achieve total disability payments for a U.S. combat veteran, usually only awarded to quadriplegics, based solely on her being transsexual.)

Prior to meeting Dr. Nubel, I had endured over 2 years without counseling or hope, because a local, “t-friendly”, PhD psychologist had previously consumed much of my life savings via insurance co-pays, wasting both our time due to a lack of experience in ts diagnosis and transition coordination. She had no idea how to, (or volition to), accomplish many things I needed, and she finally, inevitably quit on me, leaving me out in the cold to face a potentially dangerous world.

So... alone and petrified, with only enough money left until retirement for the most critically needed counseling advice, at first with small, baby-steps, I started slowly integrating into hopefully a future, full transition on my own, with no specialized help; (i.e.), on a wing and a continual, daily prayer to send an angel for help and protection every time I opened my door to go out into the world in the morning, sometimes even fearfully delaying opening it until my neighbor drove his lawn mower around to the far side of his house when I was fully “dressed”. I was the one who was going to have to quickly learn how to deal with the humiliations, the rejections from lifetime friends and family, the legal nuances, the protocol compliance, and the dangers awaiting such an inexperienced woman, who looked so obviously like a man underneath at first, until all my prayers would be fully answered.

And finally, after years of carrying the world on my shoulders alone, when I needed it the most, my angel finally appeared at a transgender party, and her name was “Aviva”, which means “springtime”. How much of a breath of spring air it was to become upon growing to know her. Before I even entered the gathering I was almost magically touched with a fresh “tingling” all over me, that erased the physical stresses of travel, and I sensed a welcoming feeling of peaceful change in everything I saw and felt. Here before me were butterflies and placidly singing wind chimes on the porch, a new star in the night sky I had never seen before, and large, decorative angels lovingly gazing toward my being; possibly bringing hope of an answered prayer, at least a foretelling of affirming acceptance within, and definitely an anticipatory tear or two to my eyes for the thought of it all someday, sometime really happening in my life...

Life did change for me that night, in so many ways. I met one of the greatest SRS surgeons in the world, (who turned out also to be one of the kindest, most decent men I've ever known before he ever introduced himself to me), and of course, Aviva, who would quickly in the future discover there was nothing wrong with me beyond the gender of the human temple holding my spirit. She would give me courage and confidence when I needed it, would give me the skills to negotiate many of the toughest hurdles on my own, would show my physician the best hormone protocol for me to follow, would write letters to my employer with recommendations on how to facilitate an “on the job” transition for an employee, would be there to help reunite my older sister with me after years of separation, would be there for me even in the latest hours before dawn if I called for help and would write my SRS approval letter for the surgeon, among a host of other wonderful things. And even during what was to become one of the most stressful times of her own life , when she really needed to focus all her energies on her own being, she found solace in her darkest hours by helping to guide me through my post-surgical recovery, continually rousing me from the fog of my medications for weeks to see if I was alright, reminding me to dilate, and when needed, to go see my doctor.

In my opinion, Aviva is at the upper echelon of transsexual counselors, and probably at this point in time, having spent over 40 years with transsexuals, the best in the world at what she does. She is kind, very loving and extremely intelligent, many times completing your thoughts before you speak them, but if you are sincere with her she WILL gently go the distance with you with all her heart and soul to help you find yourself and your destiny, at any hour of the day or night, for years if need be. Once you have committed to her, you may not realize it, but you have also started to create a lifetime bond as a friend, lasting far after completing your journey, because that in itself is a beginning; and a new springtime.

God has brought few as dedicated as she into this world, and if you have the opportunity to seek her expertise, I wholeheartedly recommend you choose her above all others when attempting to embark on your “Path Less Traveled”, towards a new life.

She was the angel I prayed for, always will remain in my heart as one, and will become yours too.

Jacqueline Grace Gaven USA 9/25/09

Lift the world from our shoulders Lift the sun within the morning mist

Sometimes a little much to bear Sweetly sigh as rainbows fill our eyes

Lift the world above our shoulders Lift the sun within the morning mist

So beautiful when someone cares Tenderly warm our gentile lives

Come inside and light a candle for A. Nubel and M. Ethridge

Lift the love beyond our doorsteps

Softly melt the fears we handle