A 19-year-old who along with her sister became the world’s first twins to undergo a simultaneous gender reassignment operation said the very first shower she had as a woman was ‘magical.’
Mayla Phoebe de Rezende and her sister Sofia Albuquerck, 19, both underwent gender reassignment surgery in Brazil earlier this month.
After being monitored by doctors for four years and following a course of hormone treatment they finally had their operations on February 13 and 14.
The pair were born as boys but have always identified as females and Mayla told local media she hopes their successful transition will make the operation more accessible in her country.
She said: “We’ve always done everything together and we recently fulfilled our dream of having gender reassignment surgery and becoming the first trans twins in the world to do so.
“There are many trans women who give up because the waiting list is too long in the public health system and there’s only one private clinic that carries out the procedure in Blumenau.”
The pair were delighted with the outcome and Mayla added: “When I saw my (male sex organ), I felt that it wasn’t mine.”
She went on to reveal that both her and her sister were subjected to bullying because of their lifestyle.
She said: “At school it was very difficult. Some classmates even threw notebooks at my head.”
The teenager praised the support from her family for their choice and said they had ‘always known we were girls’ but said that they worried about how society would treat them.
Mayla even revealed that her granddad sold a house he owned to pay for the girls’ ops.
“He’s very open-minded,” she told local media.
“My goal now is to graduate in medicine and buy another house for my grandparents as a way of repaying their gesture.”
Mayla said that they were constantly monitored by doctors for four years prior to their operation and also received hormone treatment.
“I advise every trans woman to go through this whole process,” she said.
Mayla went on to speak of her happiness with her new body.
She said: “Before being sedated in hospital, I still couldn’t believe my dream was being fulfilled.
“When I woke up, I couldn’t believe it. It’s something that’s still sinking in. I no longer feel that discomfort when lying or sitting down. It’s a wonderful thing.”
She added: “My first shower after being discharged was magical.”
Since Mayla and Sofia’s story became public, they have been inundated with well-wishers from around the world.
Mayla has also said that the pair hope to have their own families one day.
“We want to be mothers, to adopt our children…. And we also want to help trans people fight for their dreams and to not give up on them.”