A man from Salford is fundraising for private surgery after more than six years in the NHS gender clinic system.
Caelan Cinnamond, 26, is pursuing private top surgery, a procedure that removes breast tissue, after six years in the NHS gender clinic system.
Cinnamond is in the process of transitioning from a woman to a man and was approved for top surgery in early 2020, however Cinnamond’s surgeon has postponed any work indefinitely because of the pandemic.
Cinnamond has been binding to help with his body dysmorphia issues, however this has had damaging effects on his body:
“I decided to [seek private surgery] at this point because my body is giving up on binding. And for my own safety and my own comfort, I cannot stop binding until I have surgery.”
Binding is a way of hiding the appearance of breasts by wearing a garment around the torso and is used by transgender men often to appear more masculine, however it can be a dangerous practice.
On Cinnamond’s GoFundMe page he writes:
“Binding for so long has resulted in some health concerns. I have been in and out of the doctors over the past year with chest pains, heart arrthymia, arm and shoulder pains, rib pain, all of which can either be caused or made worse by binding.”
Caelan is unable to fund the surgery himself because chronic illness prevents him from working:
“I made a GoFundMe page out of pure desperation… It felt unfair to ask my peers for access to medical care that should have been provided to me in the first place”.
The NHS’ Gender Identity Clinic currently has 9,667 people on its waiting list and is offering first appointments to people who were referred in October 2017.
Caelan has already raised £1,350 in the first five days of his fundraiser, and hopes to reach £7,120.
If you would like to donate to Caelan’s fundraiser, you can do so here.
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