It Never Goes Away: Gender Transition at a Mature Age

by Anne Lauren Koch DDS

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Author: Anne Lauren Koch DDS

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Hardcover:
ISBN 10: 0813598397
ISBN 13: 978-0813598390

If you are transgendered, the feeling of wanting your body to match the sex you feel you are never goes away. For some, though, especially those who grew up before trans people were widely out and advocating for equality, these feelings were often compartmentalized and rarely acted upon. Now that gender reassignment has become much more commonplace, many of these people may feel increasing pressure to finally undergo the procedures they have always secretly wanted.

Ken Koch was one of those people. Married twice, a veteran, and a world traveler, a health scare when he was sixty-three prompted him to acknowledge the feelings that had plagued him since he was a small child. By undergoing a host of procedures, he radically changed his appearance and became Anne Koch. In the process though, Anne lost everything that Ken had accomplished. She had to remake herself from the ground up. Hoping to help other people in her age bracket who may be considering transitioning, Anne describes the step by step procedures that she underwent, and shares the cost to her personal life, in order to show seniors that although it is never too late to become the person you always knew you were, it is better to go into that new life prepared for some serious challenges. Both a fascinating memoir of a well-educated man growing up trans yet repressed in the mid-twentieth century, and a guidebook to navigating the tricky waters of gender reassignment as a senior, It Never Goes Away shows how what we see in the television world of Transparent translates in real life.

Review

"Bravo to Dr. Anne Koch! It Never Goes Away is a must-read that is filled with both words of wisdom and lots of practical information for a journey that many persons are now pursuing or will embark on some day. As a role model and humanitarian, Dr. Koch has produced an important example for families and friends who are supporting loved ones on their gender affirmation journey."

-- Gloria Bachmann, Director of Women's Health Institute, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

“Dr. Koch shares an authentic, informative, and up to date compelling personal narrative. With passion, innovation, and sharp attention to detail, she provides a formative roadmap for how to meet the needs of anyone considering a transition later in life. This is a must read for the Trans community and their allies.”

-- Sheila Nutt, Director, Educational Outreach Programs, Harvard Medical School

"Dr. Annie Koch has devoted much of her professional life to teaching others. In this revealing and personal account of her remarkable life she continues to inspire and encourages each of us to be true to ourselves; it's never too late. I've been fortunate to know Annie personally and anyone who reads her story will never forget her!"

-- Jeffrey Spiegel, MD, FACS, The Spiegel Center, Newton, MA

"Dr. Anne Koch presents a compelling narrative of her later-in-life transition, skillfully weaving together experiences drawn from her professional and personal life. She adds an important voice to the literature on transgender health that will move health systems to continually improve care in this area."

-- Jenny Siegel, MD, Medical Director of the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery at Boston Medical Center

“It Never Goes Away is a riveting story about the gender transition journey of Dr. Anne Koch, a leading practitioner and educator in dental medicine. Her gentle but necessarily didactic story succeeds in unmasking the stigma faced so long by transgender people. The book “shines light” on one of the biggest problems in transgender medicine—that there is no continuity of care by many healthcare providers, with an exception of a few large gender centers and institutions. It Never Goes Away will become a core reading in educational programs at schools of medicine in the United States and Canada.”

-- Lisa McBride, Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, TCU and UNTHS School of Medicine

"I finished this book in one sitting! It's a must-read for all healthcare practitioners....A very open and revealing work that will help everyone understand the struggles of transgender people and will be an indispensable tool for persons contemplating transition, since even complex medical concepts are explained clearly. Annie's story shows that even when transition happens late in life, the best years may still be ahead if you have the courage to face them."

-- Amelia Guzman, Chair of Education, Philippine Nurses Association of America

"This is a must-read that is filled with both words of wisdom and lots of practical information for a journey that until recently was a thought that many times remained unfulfilled. Dr. Koch is a role model and humanitarian and provides us with an important example for families and friends who support their loved ones on their gender affirmation journey. Not only is this filled with information, it is authentic and a compelling personal narrative that is written with passion. It is written from the heart, revealing and inspirational."

, Reviews by Amos Lassen

About the Author

Anne L. Koch, D.M.D.,a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania is the founder and past director of the postdoctoral program in endodontics and microsurgery at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. She was also CEO and president of her own successful technology and development company, Real World Endo. Dr. Koch is currently a professor in the department of endodontics, and a senior fellow with Penn Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania as well as a faculty member at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

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It Never Goes Away: Gender Transition at a Mature Age