A transgender man has blasted an anaesthetist at a top surgery in Turkey of being “fatphobic” after losing £2,000 raised when they blocked his “life-changing” treatment from taking place Elliot Webster-Mockett, 34, a British Sign Language trainee interpreter from Glasgow, came out as transgender in 2021 and hoped the surgery would help boost his confidence by removing breast tissue from his chest.
However, when he arrived at the clinic in Turkey in December 2022, after raising around £6,000 through GoFundMe, he claims he faced fatphobia from both the anaesthetist and the Instagram agent who organised the trip, which led to the procedure being called off.
Standing at 5ft 6in and weighed over 18 stone at the time, Elliot says the issues started during a pre-op consultation. Despite filling out a health questionnaire before travelling, he was told by the anaesthetist that additional scans were needed before the surgery could go ahead, which would cost an extra £1,000 and go beyond Elliot’s surgery date, ultimately meaning he was forced to fly home.
Elliot told PA Real Life: “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, who has been waiting for top surgery on the NHS since 2021, turned to private healthcare after learning it could take up to eight years for the operation. Surgery in the UK would have cost at least £10,000, which led Elliot to consider going abroad.
In June 2022, he set up a GoFundMe page and raised enough money to cover the £6,000 cost of surgery, travel, and accommodation in Turkey. But the sudden cancellation left Elliot heartbroken and with £2,000 of the funds spent on the trip.
When Elliot arrived in Turkey, things took an unexpected turn. During his pre-op appointment, the anaesthetist discovered that Elliot had a red, inflamed throat that was infected. So, Elliot was advised to take antibiotics and return, but after taking them for two days, the anaesthetist remained unwilling to proceed.
Confused, Elliot consulted the surgeon, who he said assured him that surgery was still possible and dismissed concerns about his weight. Elliot claims the surgeon said that the anaesthetist was fatphobic, and this was the reason she did not want to go ahead with the surgery.
The anaesthetist also insisted Elliot have additional scans, which would cost an extra £1,000, to rule out any underlying health conditions related to his weight. “By then, I had missed my scheduled surgery slot,” Elliot said. “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.”
Faced with the possibility of paying more, extending his stay, changing flights, and still being denied surgery, Elliot made the difficult decision to fly home the next day, having only been in Turkey for two days. After two years of thorough research, Elliot has now scheduled his surgery in Madrid, Spain, for February 2025, with the assurance that staff “are used to seeing and being around bigger people” because they also specialise in weight loss surgery, if he can raise enough funds through an online fundraiser.
He has launched a new GoFundMe campaign to raise the remaining £3,500 needed to cover the cost of the procedure, flights, and accommodation. Elliot is cautiously optimistic about the upcoming surgery but admitted he’s still nervous after his previous experience in Turkey.
“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,” he said. “I’m not allowing myself to enjoy it fully, and there’s not a lot of time between now and February for me to get that money together, so I’ve kind of set myself a bit of a task.”
Reflecting on the experience, Elliot offered advice to others considering surgery abroad, urging them to “question everything” and do their research thoroughly before committing to a provider. “Don’t be tempted to go with the easiest option,” he said.
To donate to Elliot’s fundraiser, visit his GoFundMe page.
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