Shannon Matthews, 28, from Erskine, Renfrewshire, says her 12lb breasts are destroying her life and that reduction surgery is her only hope, but she has been refused help on the NHS. Her breasts began growing rapidly at different rates when she was 21, leaving one much larger than the other. She now lives in crippling pain and says even sitting up in a chair or wearing a bra leaves her in agony.
Refused referral due to BMI
Shannon was automatically refused a referral for breast reduction due to her BMI, which she says is made worse by the weight she carries on her chest. Despite efforts to lose weight, her chest has continued to grow. In 2018, a consultant at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley turned her away, saying she would be automatically rejected for surgery because of her BMI.
Shannon said: “Currently, lying down is about as comfortable as it gets and I’ve tried everything. The solution is to not wear a bra then I lie down and both my breasts tuck under my arms. I have bruising and I’ve had endless infections underneath. The summer time is so difficult and I’m just back and forth on different steroid creams.”
Crowdfunding for private surgery
Shannon has now set up a crowdfunder to raise the £2,800 she needs for private surgery. She also lives with Schueurmann’s Disease, a curvature of the spine, and has chronic pain throughout her body since childhood. She is autistic and cared for by her long-term boyfriend Callum Brown, also 28.
Shannon said: “If I got a reduction I could sit up in a chair again without feeling so much pain. I do a lot of digital art and I could get a job. I know what I need and I’m sure there are other people out there who have gone though what I’ve gone through. I wanted to speak out because I don’t want any other young woman to go through this.”
Partner speaks out
Callum said: “Her breasts weight 12lb. That’s 12lb she can’t shift anyway before they’re even willing to look at her. She has never been mammogrammed or properly looked at. They’ve just kept growing. We’ve recorded her losing weight while they’ve continued to grow. Her back pain is one of the main complaints she suffers with and that is compounded by having 10 kilos of extra weight strapped to the front of her chest.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was approached over Shannon’s case. Eligibility for breast reduction surgery is determined via the NHS Scotland Exceptional Referral process, which outlines procedures not routinely offered and only provided on an exceptional case basis. Referrers must assess specific criteria, including physical and functional impairments, before making a referral.
