Five years ago, a man married for 25 years who had six kids went to the hospital with a kidney stone and left with a piece of life-changing news — he was a woman.

Now, Stevie Crecelius — formerly Steve — is sharing her story. Steve was happily married to his wife and working as a photographer in Denver, Colo., when he learned he was intersex, born with both male and female anatomy.

“I had a kidney stone and we’re in the emergency room,” Stevie told Fox affiliate KDVR. “The nurse is reading the ultrasound and says, ‘Huh, this says you’re a female.’”

Stevie was shocked, but not incredibly surprised.

“It validated everything I had always felt inside,” she said.

In retrospect, the diagnosis makes sense, she explains.

“I remember wearing my mom’s clothes and makeup, very secretly, not telling anybody,” Stevie told the station.