Lying in a hospital bed in A&E, I was filled with terror and regret.
After being rushed to hospital, struggling to breathe and weak from blood loss, I’d been diagnosed with a life threatening pulmonary embolism – a clot in my lung – which could kill me at any moment.
Donia Youssef beat cancer then had £10k Harley St BBL (Brazilian Buttlift surgery) to fix her ‘flat’ bum[/caption]
Donia deeply regrets having the £10k BBL which nearly killed her[/caption]
Donia was terrified that she’d leave her two daughters, Aaliyah and Tania, without a mum[/caption]
I thought of my two little girls, Aaliyah and Tania, waiting at home for me and felt so much remorse.
It had been my choice to have the Brazilian Butt Lift surgery which had left me in this terrible state.
My decision to have the surgery wasn’t just about vanity, it was part of trying to rebuild my self-confidence and femininity after battling breast cancer.
In 2017, I was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer, aged just 39. It was an enormous shock, I was young, fit and healthy and had initially put the lump in my left breast down to breastfeeding my youngest child.
When the oncologist told me I needed to have chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and radiotherapy, I was devastated.
After chemo and my mastectomy, fat was taken from my tummy by liposuction to create new breasts, instead of using implants, and I was left with some scarring and no nipples.
On learning I had the BRAC2 gene, I also had a hysterectomy and oophorectomy to reduce my risk of other cancers.
This plunged me into early menopause, and the hormonal changes left my bum saggy and flat.
It was such a gruelling time and by the time I was told in 2019 that I was in remission, my body had been through so much.
I was incredibly grateful to have survived but it was hard coming to terms with my changed body, and my bum in particular really bothered me.
Women my age are susceptible to what we see online when it comes to ‘perfect’ bodies, it’s not just younger women affected by the constant messaging that you must look a certain way.
I’d scroll through social media and see celebs and influencers with pert, curvy bums and feel even worse about my own.
It didn’t matter how I dressed, it always looked flat and shapeless, and I was self-conscious about it especially in swimwear.
I was in a relationship at that time and he wasn’t particularly complimentary about my post cancer body, which was hurtful and only made me feel even less confident.
Cancer had made me feel less feminine, with the loss of my hair and breasts, and even though I’d beaten it, my flat bum continued to make me feel less womanly and attractive.
In 2021, I made a decision to do something about it.
I’d heard about Brazilian Buttlift surgery, where fat is taken from a person’s body and injected into their bum to make it bigger and curvier.
I admit I didn’t do much research into the procedure, mainly because it sounded so similar to what I’d already had done with creating my new breasts. I didn’t feel concerned or fazed by it, having been through so many ops already.
However, I believed that by going to a top clinic on London’s Harley Street, and paying £10,000 from my savings for the procedure, I would be in safe hands.
I had no idea that BBL surgery actually is one of the most high risk cosmetic procedures, with a high mortality rate due to pulmonary embolisms, when a clot blocks an artery.
What are Brazilian Butt Lifts and why are they so popular?
Buttock enlargement surgery – known as a Brazilian butt-lift (BBL) – is used to make the bum look bigger, rounded and lifted.
Surgeons transfer fat, inject filler or insert silicone-filled implants.
It is the fastest growing cosmetic procedure but also one of the most dangerous, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).
Many patients are travelling to the likes of Turkey or seeking out unregistered surgeons in the UK and are not given full information on the risks.
BBLs carry the highest risk of all cosmetic surgeries – with more than one death occurring per 4,000 procedures.
Due to celebrities undergoing such ops, many women are hoping to emulate their looks.
Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Anu Sayal-Bennett, a chartered member of the British Psychological Society, told the BBC: “Despite there being so much about body positivity, there are pressures for women – and men too – to look a certain way.”
Many people travel abroad for the procedure because it is cheaper and advertising is “terribly seductive”, combined with the idea of a beach holiday, added Dr Sayal-Bennett.
Surgery regrets
I only confided in one close friend that I was planning to have surgery. She was really supportive but I knew other people, and my family, would just think I was being vain and try to talk me out of it.
In September 2021, I had a general anaesthetic and fat was lipo-ed from my flanks, either side of my torso, and injected into my bum.
I was discharged the same evening, groggy and on painkillers, bandaged and in compression garments.
Donia says the bruising on her body was ‘horrific’ following the surgery[/caption]
I’d been told I would feel uncomfortable for a few days and there would be some bruising.
However, by two days after the operation I knew something was seriously wrong.
I had no idea that BBL surgery actually is one of the most high risk cosmetic procedures, with a high mortality rate due to pulmonary embolisms, when a clot blocks an artery
Donia Youssef
Every time I went to the loo, I was passing large quantities of blood, the bruising across my body was horrific, and I felt very breathless.
By then, I’d told my mum and sister about the procedure and they were both cross with me for having it, and very worried about me, insisting I go to hospital.
Fatal risk
When I was told I had a potentially fatal clot, I was horrified. I couldn’t believe this was happening and wished I could go back in time and never have the BBL.
I phoned the clinic where I’d had the BBL, but they washed their hands of what was happening, insisting that everything had been fine with my bloods when I was discharged.
I felt frustrated but had to just focus on getting better and home to my daughters.
I spent a week in hospital, on the cardiac ward in case I went into cardiac arrest, hooked up to IVs to dissolve the clot, and also having a blood transfusion as I’d lost a dangerous amount.
Trauma recovery
It took me three months to feel fully physically recovered from my ordeal, and I had therapy to help with the emotional trauma.
I was open with my daughters about what had happened because I wanted them to learn from my mistake and never have a procedure like that.
Every time I went to the loo, I was passing large quantities of blood, the bruising across my body was horrific, and I felt very breathless
Donia Youssef
I never want them to feel their bodies are less than perfect, the way I did.
My bum is curvy and perky but when I look at it, it’s bittersweet.
It may look good but the physical and mental cost of achieving it was huge, and it absolutely wasn’t worth almost losing my life.
