Harrogate woman with 34H breasts fundraises for reduction
- Published
Kelly Michaud said the size of her breasts made it impossible to breastfeed her newborn son
A woman who has endured "years of back pain" and sores due to her breast size says she is fundraising for a reduction after being refused one on the NHS.
Kelly Michaud, 26, has 34H breasts, which she says causes her huge physical discomfort as well as mental distress.
She is unable to breastfeed her newborn due to the pain, but reduction surgery is not "routinely commissioned" by her local Clinical Commissioning Group.
Mrs Michaud said: "I feel like I can't live the rest of my life like this."
Kelly Michaud said wearing a bra was painful because of the deep marks it leaves on her body
Mrs Michaud, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, said her breasts were completely out of proportion with her 5ft 2in (1.57m), size eight frame and she had "struggled to live with them for years".
She said: "There's this assumption that if you have big boobs then you should be happy, that people pay to have big breasts so I should count myself lucky.
"But the reality is very different. Since being a teenager, I've had horrendous back pain, bras digging into my shoulders, sores under my boobs and constant unwanted attention about the size of them."
The mother-of-two sought help from her GP in 2018 and was told that before she would be considered for surgery she needed to try other measures.
She spent £240 on bras and lost two stone in weight, but nothing helped so her doctor applied for reduction surgery - an application which was rejected by North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (NYCCG).
Desperate for help, Mrs Michaud then wrote to NYCCG "pleading for them to remove the weight", but she said her case was refused.
She said the weight of her breasts hindered her being able to do physical activity
Mrs Michaud said she had been left with no other choice but to try to raise the money privately.
"I just long to be able to move around freely, to not have neck and back pain and to be able to buy clothes that fit me properly and not feel like I have to constantly keep my breasts covered up.
"I've come across so many other women experiencing the same as me and who have been made to feel like they're making an issue out of nothing so I want to raise money to help them too."
NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said like many CCGs, breast reduction surgery was not routinely commissioned unless it related to breast cancer treatment or surgery.
"However, where an Individual Funding Request for a particular treatment or procedure that isn't routinely commissioned has been turned down, patients have the option - with the support of their doctor or consultant - to appeal the decision, should they wish."
The group added it was not appropriate to comment on the circumstances of individual patients.
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