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Invercargill woman Khellsey-Anna Atley's days of low self-esteem are behind her following life-changing breast-reduction surgery.
The 22-year-old nursing student's cup size has gone from an 18H to an 18C after the $20,000 surgery on June 10.
Ms Atley raised half the money for the surgery after finding out she was ineligible through the public health system, and has borrowed the remainder.
During the surgery in Dunedin, 1.8kg of material was removed from her breasts.
Having caused her chronic pain before, to the point where some days she could not get out of bed, everything was "great" with her breasts now and she was recovering well at home.
Even with one post-surgery complication, ending up back in hospital when a small blood clot formed in one breast, she said she did not regret the decision.
"I would do the surgery in a heartbeat. I have no words to describe how I'm feeling. Now I can proudly look at the mirror and feel that I'm in the right body."
The support she had received from the community was overwhelming, she said.
"After the story has been published, people from all over the country messaged me and I could talk with a lot of girls who experienced the same issues I had. It was inspiring."