Scots mum of transgender son opens up on agonising four year wait for 'life or death' treatment
transgender son revealed he wanted to die following an agonising four year wait for treatment. Jackie Whyte has vowed to do “whatever it takes” to fund hormone replacement therapy for teenager Ben, who has been on an NHS waiting list since he was 16.
The 53-year-old, from Glenrothes, Fife, fears she could lose her son to suicide as a result of the lengthy delay in getting an appointment at a Gender Identity Clinic in Edinburgh.
She told how matters came to a head last week when her 19-year-old son sent her a text message telling her about his severe mental health struggles.Jackie, a mum-of-four, believes more needs to be done to help speed up the process, which has resulted in Ben developing Non-Epileptic Attack Disorder which causes a type of seizure that looks similar to epilepsy.The carer said: “To get a text message from my son saying he longer wanted to be here broke me.
I have to save my son and I will do whatever it takes.“Ben has been on the waiting list since he was 16. He turns 20 in a few weeks.
