Surgery or bust for nursing student

Khellsey-Anna Atley has put together a fundraising show to help cover the costs of her breast...
Khellsey-Anna Atley has put together a fundraising show to help cover the costs of her breast reduction surgery. PHOTO: LUISA GIRAO
After years of being bullied and suffering from low self-esteem, a young Invercargill woman is determined to have her life back.

For Khellsey-Anna Atley, that means a bilateral breast reduction.

The 22-year-old nursing student has had problems with her large bust since she was a teenager and was a size 18F.

"The kids bullied me at school and started to call me tissues. They thought I was putting tissues in my bra, which is ridiculous."

The problem went far beyond bullying by her school friends.

With tears in her eyes, she said her big breasts also caused her chronic pain, which some days did not allow her to get out of bed.

"The upper and lower back is curving. It causes so much pain that some days I can't do anything"

She first consulted a doctor when she was 16 years old but was told she was too young.

"They said I might not breast-feed and I was not old enough to make this kind of decision."

Years later - and at size 18H - Mrs Atley had not changed her mind.

She returned last year to her doctor's office and this time was considered a "perfect candidate".

"They said my breasts do not match my body. They will need to take at least one kilo from each breast."

However, to proceed with the surgery, she needed to overcome another two other barriers - lose 20kg and have $20,000 to cover the cost of the medical procedure.

The first was completed with no problems, but the second was a challenge, as it was too expensive for her.

She tried public funding but was informed there was no funding left for her in the public health sector due to high numbers on the waiting list.

"I could wait years until having an approval. This problem already hurts me so much, physically and emotionally, that I can't wait any longer.

"This is not cosmetic, not about looking good. It is a serious health problem, causing me a lot of pain."

She decided to put together a fundraising show to help with the cost of the operation.

The "Khellsey-Anna's Boob Voyage" variety concert will gather local musicians at the Ascot Hotel, in Invercargill, at 7.30pm today.

"It is more than fundraising. People need to start to talk about it. That is my main objective."

Ministry of Health figures show there were 73 patients waiting for a breast reduction at the end of February - 40 from the North Island and 33 from the South Island.

There were 313 publicly funded non-acute breast reduction procedures completed in New Zealand last year.

Southern DHB surgical services and radiology medical director surgical Stephen Packer said the board attempted to make fair decisions.

Health resources were limited, he said.

Cases had to be prioritised and resources used for those with the greatest need and ability to benefit.

"Patients referred for any service are prioritised against others referred to that service, and in this case it will include those requiring mastectomy and reconstructions as part of breast cancer treatments," Mr Packer said

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