CHERYl Virgo is a mother of three and has a career as a Natural Therapist and Life Coach.

Her three adult children lived a relatively normal life when her 23 year old daughter realised that her gender choice was to be a male. 

“I was watching a TV documentary on transgender and asked my daughter to watch,” said Mrs Virgo. It was at that time when her child related to transgender and the journey to becoming a male became a reality. 

Cheryl kept a daily journal over nine months to deal with the many emotions a mother would feel. Journaling helped Cheryl with her grief of losing a daughter but gaining a male in the family. 

“I kept the journal for my own purposes, but it was not long after that I realised I was meant to share this experience with others.”

Her book ‘My Transgender Son’ has now been released to help other parents with similar experiences. Her aim is to give other parents hope and that this can be turned into a positive.

“When you first face this, you go into guilt mode; what did I do wrong as a parent?” said Mrs Virgo.

Over the years she has learnt how to let go of the grief and retain her relationship with her son. “Learn to love the spirit, not the body. There is a way through to stay connected.”

Cheryl admits to being a very spiritual person and this has helped her keep her belief. 

“I had very little support when dealing with this, no counselling or other services that had the experience for me to compare and share.”

Her passion is to now help other parents with transgender children and her relationship with her son has created stronger respect for each other. 

“Let go of the old picture, create a new vision for the family.”