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Mum’s breast implant ordeal
Pictured is up to date pictures of Kerry Needham,mum of Ben Needham who disappeared 19 years ago,and this weekend is his 21st Birthday.
THE mother of missing Sheffield boy Ben Needham has revealed she is one of thousands of women living in fear after learning their breast implants contain industrial silicone.
Kerry Grist, of Ecclesfield, had the implants after the stress of 21-month-old Ben’s disappearance on holiday in 1991 caused her weight to plummet to just six and a half stone.
She is one of an estimated 40,000 women in the UK who have French-made PIP implants, which in a global scandal last year were found to contain potentially dangerous industrial silicone rather than medical-grade fillers.
The 40-year-old said: “I am petrified. When I first found out in December, along with everybody else, it sent me into shock. You think how can this be happening?
“I’ve got enough on my plate without having to worry about all this, it is so emotionally draining.”
It is feared implants containing industrial silicone may be more prone to rupture and leakage.
Kerry is supporting a protest in Leeds this weekend calling for cosmetic firms to remove and replace implants for free and urging the Government to step in.
Some private clinics have agreed to replace implants for free but Transform Medical Group, which carried out Kerry’s £3,850 operation, paid for by her parents, in 2004, is one of those which have not.
Kerry, whose appointment with Transform has also been postponed, said: “My GP has said I’ve got to wait and see what Transform say.
“None of us want to be a drain on the National Health Service but it is frightening to have this industrial silicone inside you and not know what could happen from one day to the next.
“By speaking out I hope companies will do what’s right.”
n Transform said it did not comment on individual cases because of patient confidentiality. Patients given PIP implants since 2001 can have free removal and scans but replacements costs £2,500.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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