A transgender man has spoken out about his harrowing experience after his “life-changing” top surgery in Turkey was cancelled due to his weight, with claims of “fatphobia” from the anaesthetist. Elliot Webster-Mockett, 34, came out as trans in 2021 and sought top surgery for a chest alteration to remove breast tissue to “boost (his) self-confidence”.

Due to NHS wait times of up to eight years and steep private costs in the UK, Elliot discovered through Instagram that he could undergo the surgery in Turkey for about £6,000, including travel and accommodation. After successfully crowdfunding £2,000 via GoFundMe, Elliot travelled to Turkey in December 2022 for the operation. However, he claims to have faced fatphobia from the anaesthetist and the agent who arranged the trip, leading to the surgery’s cancellation.

The Impact of Fatphobia on Healthcare

Standing at 5ft 6in (1.6m) and weighing 18 stone and one pound (115kg), Elliot had a BMI of 40.9, which is considered severely obese. Despite this, he says there were no initial concerns regarding his weight when he completed a health questionnaire in the UK. But he says that upon arrival in Turkey, the anaesthetist demanded additional scans costing an extra £1,000 that delayed the surgery date, forcing Elliot to return home to the UK without undergoing the procedure. Elliot claimed that his surgeon labelled the anaesthetist’s actions as “fatphobic”, insisting that his weight was not a barrier to the surgery.

Obstacles to Transgender Healthcare

Speaking to PA Real Life, Elliot said: “I had to grieve a little bit because I thought my life was going to change. I had the added pressure of all these people having given me all this money and for something that didn’t happen, which ultimately wasn’t my fault, but I felt so much guilt. I offered to give the money back to people but no-one wanted it back which I was shocked at and everyone was so supportive.”

Elliot, a British Sign Language interpreter trainee from Glasgow, publicly identified as transgender in 2021, after always “feeling different” and “reflecting on (his) own identity” when his partner Bea came out as non-binary the same year. He believes that while their relationship has naturally evolved over time, coming out hasn’t “drastically changed anything” between them.

“I think we are happier than we were before, in some ways more confident,” he expressed. “So I wouldn’t say it’s improved our relationship, but maybe it has because we kind of both are who we are, who we want to be.”

Shortly after coming out, Elliot began considering top surgery, believing it would “make (his) life a bit easier”. He joined the NHS waiting list in 2021, only to discover that the wait could span five to eight years.

“It’s frustrating,” he admitted. “I’m in my 30s, and it took me so long to get to this point, I just want to live my life.”

He was stunned to find the cost of private surgery in the UK started at £10,000, with only a select few surgeons willing to take on a patient with his BMI another hurdle he had to overcome. Elliot then came across an intermediary on Instagram who offered a package deal for surgery in Turkey, including flights, accommodation and translation services, all for approximately £6,000.

By June 2022, thanks to the generosity of friends and strangers alike, Elliot’s GoFundMe campaign hit its target. Subsequent discussions about the procedure were carried out over WhatsApp with the coordinator, culminating in a surgery date set for December 2022.

The Surgeon's Perspective

Yet upon Elliot’s arrival in Turkey, plans went wrong. The pre-op consultation revealed that Elliot had an infected throat, looking red and inflamed. With the best course of action being antibiotics, Elliot was told to take them and come back for surgery. However, even after two days of treatment, he says the anaesthetist hesitated to proceed with surgery.

Perplexed, Elliot sought the opinion of the surgeon, who seemed confident that the operation could still go ahead, casting aside the concerns regarding his weight. According to Elliot, the surgeon reckoned the anaesthetist’s reluctance was due to fatphobia, insisting that was why she was averse to performing the surgery.

He also claimed the anaesthetist demanded Elliot undergo extra scans, adding another £1,000 to the bill, to exclude any potential health risks associated with his weight. “By then, I had missed my scheduled surgery slot,” Elliot recounted. “The surgeon said he could possibly fit me in later, but it wouldn’t be for another week and even if I had the scans, there was no guarantee the surgery would happen. For me, if it was by the book, I’d have been asked to do those tests before because they already knew (my weight). I can see from both sides, those tests could have just been to check things, but when I spoke to the surgeon about it, that’s not how it came across.”

Facing additional costs, a prolonged stay, altered travel plans, and potential surgery refusal, Elliot opted to return home the following day after only two days in Turkey. He shared: “I was devastated… I was really upset and I felt ashamed.”

The surgeon ultimately waived the operation fee, but Elliot had incurred approximately £2,000 in expenses for the travel and accommodation from the GoFundMe donations. Elliot has chosen not to reveal the identity of the agent or medical facility involved in the Turkey trip, citing instances where others who spoke out encountered verbal attacks.

He recounted: “I know people who have called the agent out and he’s created a hate campaign against them.”

Looking Ahead: Hope for the Future

Despite offering to refund the contributors, Elliot found that the donors did not want to be reimbursed. Now, after the initial setback, Elliot is preparing to attempt the surgery once more. He launched another GoFundMe in the summer of 2024, with a target of £3,500 to fund surgery, flights, and accommodation costs, adding this to the remaining money from his earlier fundraising efforts. This time around, he took to extensive research to find the best surgeon available and joined online communities on Reddit and Facebook to learn from other people’s experiences.

Elliot has now booked his surgery in Madrid for February 2025, with the reassurance the staff specialise in both top surgery and weight loss surgery – meaning “they are used to seeing and being around bigger people”. “I am excited, but I think just because of what happened before, I’ve got a bit of doubt in the back of my head that it’s not going to happen,” said Elliot. “I’m not allowing myself to enjoy it fully, and then obviously there’s not a lot of time between now and February for me to get that money together so I kind of set myself a bit of a task.”

He offered advice to others thinking of getting surgery abroad: “Question everything and understand it’s normal to have questions for a big surgery. Do your research and don’t be tempted to go with the easiest option.”

For those wishing to support Elliot’s journey, contributions can be made at his GoFundMe page: www.gofundme.com/f/itty-bitty-titty-disposal-comittee.