Debbie Horton, 26, is desperately seeking breast reduction surgery, after her 42I breasts caused her spine to collapse and left her needing to use a wheelchair.
The sales advisor, of Nuneaton, has spent the past four years in extreme pain due to spinal problems including spinal degeneration disc disease, fibromyalgia, prolapsed discs spondylitis and kyphosis in her neck.
She first noticed an issue in September 2016 while working at Aldi, and even after multiple spinal operations she still has to rely on a wheelchair and crutches to get around.
Debbie is desperate to have a breast reduction, but says this won’t be funded on the NHS.
She said: ‘The weight of my boobs is constantly pulling down and it causes so much pain. I live with pain every day.
‘I really believe that having the breast reduction surgery would completely change my life – it would reduce the pain as I won’t have the weight pulling me down. I think they must weigh a couple of stone each.
‘I can learn to get my spine back into the position it should be in – my boobs could have caused this whole problem. I’ve spoken to my doctor about getting it on the NHS but it’s such a strict criteria.
‘With the less pressure impacting my spine, I can put more exercise in and doctors have said that it would help.
‘I don’t like to go out without Lee because I can’t physically walk for a long time – I have to take my crutches and wheelchair everywhere with me.’
Debbie says she has ‘always’ had large breasts, but she only became aware of the damage they were causing in 2016, when she bent over to pick something up and felt her back give in.
She was rushed to hospital, where they discovered her spine was curved.
‘I had to take two months off work and everything went downhill from there,’ Debbie said.
‘The pain was horrendous and now I live with it everyday – it really makes you realise how much you need your back.’
Debbie finally received three bouts of surgery including a disc discectomy, disc laminectomy and spinal proctorial lumber in November 2019 but still struggles to walk.
She continued: ‘I was diagnosed with lupus last week which is just another thing to add to the list.
‘With my illness, my skin can be so sensitive that I can’t even put a bra on which makes the weight even heavier. It’s too much for my spine to handle.
‘One of my friends, Rita Bloomer, helped me to set the fundraiser up and I really think it will change my life for the better.’
Debbie is now fundraising to cover the cost of breast reduction surgery.
If you’d like to help, you can donate through GoFundMe.
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