How Imago faced a great challenge - and what came out of it

The 'Stealth mode' period...

Those of you who already had a call with me probably will smile, as you've already heard one of the versions of what I'm about to write here. However, very few of you know the current ending of this narrative, so feel invited to keep on reading. :)

Up until April, Imago was operating in a stealth mode, staying low profile, asking patients to refrain from publishing online recommendations. The reason was very simple: our supply of doctors at the time was just a tiny drop compared to the vast ocean of demand for therapy. I wanted to avoid bottle-neck effect, the last thing I wanted was Imago becoming yet another clinic with horrendously long waiting times. I was looking for allies to speed up but for the time being, organic growth was the only reasonable choice.

And then, everything changed...

The Challenge

In recent months, one of the biggest European clinics prescribing hormones failed their patients in the most horrible way. Trans people undergoing GAHT were left without prescriptions (which they already paid for), all of the sudden facing the horror of detransitioning. Furthermore, they were cut off with paywalls from the possibility of contacting customer service, making a complaint, or receiving any information (without paying for it...). Being in the Internet startup industry for many years, I've encountered all shades of dishonesty, negligence, and a great variety of unethical conduct. Still, I found this act of extreme irresponsibility (I'll limit myself to this euphemism, for legal reasons) towards the very vulnerable utterly disgusting.

Only a trans person can understand the terror they faced. Of course, they could not have resorted to public healthcare. They needed immediate help - not dehumanization, humiliation, and years-long waiting times. They were desperately seeking a solution.

It took just one mention...

Somebody wrote about Imago in some tiny niche of the Internet. Day by day, the number of requests increased by more than power of magnitude.

Do I have to say we were in no way prepared for that?

Nevertheless, I did not hesitate for even a second on whether or not to face that tremendous challenge. I made a steadfast decision to do everything in my power to leave not even a single trans person without hormones. There was never the question of "whether" - only the question of "how". Well, how, indeed?

Great challenges rarely emerge when one is fully prepared and ready, on the contrary, we rather get ambushed by them. And we can freeze, flight - or fight. Imago was already my all-in. So, now, I was to finally see the cards and play my lousy hand.

I started seeing the refugees from the aforementioned clinic, and intensified recruitment processes, intensely looking for new doctors. The odds were definitely against me. After all, I've already spent 11 months trying to accomplish exactly that goal, with poor results.

I was determined as Imago is not a job or business for me, it is a mission, and nothing was more important. Still, my determination could not have sufficed. I considered transparency to be the only honest option so I disclosed information about the risk to every person I connected with during the introductory video call (which covers everyone who later joined Imago). I always despised lies and deception my old environment was permeated with so I do not consider it anything more than a basic standard of decency. I worked 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, with only one day off in May (and I still took 1 call that day).

The Unraveling

This week, I told the above story with a very significant modification. I am very happy to announce that multiple of the recruitment processes were successfully concluded. Many people passionate about Imago's mission and cause, doctors and non-medical professionals, joined the team. Most of them, with long years of experience in helping trans people with therapies. From July, we will be able to help not just hundreds, but thousands!
We will be here for you for as long as necessary, providing a legitimate medical service (not mere prescription-selling one). We will be here until GAHT becomes free for all of us in public healthcare systems - the goal I will not spare effort to make come true.

PS

Meeting trans people from all over Europe during the past two months was one of the most beautiful experiences. It was an exhausting time, and filled with anxiety, uncertainty, and stress, but the calls energized and strengthened me. I was deeply moved by the stories shared with me. But what I loved the most, something that left me astonished and filled with hope, was how caring and considerate so many among our community were!
Thank you!

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