A Chinese woman, surnamed Lu, was shocked and heartbroken when she found out that her intellectually disabled son, 19, had undergone breast augmentation surgery at a plastic surgery clinic in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Jul. 28.

To make matters worse, the boy, known as Junjun, was still looking for a job and took a bank loan of 30,000 yuan (S$5,473) to pay for the surgery.

The loan had to be repaid with 7,000 yuan (S$1,277) in interest.

"There is no way my son could pay back the amount of 37,000 yuan (S$6,750) in two years," Lu shared in an interview with Hubei TV, with worry in her voice.

Junjun unemployed, suffers from depression

Lu said that after the surgery, Junjun's had "B cup" breasts, and his torso bore two long scars.

Lu believed that the clinic must have scammed Junjun into receiving the surgery because "he only has the intellect of a five-year-old" and suffers from various mental health issues.

A doctor's note issued by a Wuhan hospital in March 2023 indicates that Junjun suffers from anxiety, insomnia, and depression, according to Hubei TV.

Due to these mental health challenges, Lu said Junjun attended a vocational school after graduating from middle school and has been looking for a job for more than a year now.

Clinic 'took advantage' of Junjun: Lu

From Lu's perspective, the clinic was able to convince Junjun because they "took advantage" of his precarious mental health and financial situation, reported Hubei TV.

In one screenshot showing a conversation between Junjun and the clinic, the clinic could be seen telling him that "many live streamers came to us for plastic surgery, and they can earn quite a lot".

In another screenshot, the clinic also appeared to be incentivising Junjun to get the surgery as soon as possible by saying:

"I can send a car to pick you up now. We are running a promotion today, so we can offer you a facial treatment after you visit us in the morning. You can then look for work in the afternoon."

However, Hubei TV did not show the entire conversation between Junjun and the clinic or specify when the conversations seen in the screenshots took place.

Junjun 'does not know why' he went for surgery

When Hubei TV interviewed Junjun, he shared that he learned about the clinic from a friend, who sent him the contact of a staff member working there.

"The clinic kept pushing me later on, including telling me they would be sending a car to pick me up," recounted Junjun.

However, as for why he went for the breast augmentation surgery, Junjun said he "does not know".

Clinic refuted Lu's accusation

The head of the clinic, surnamed Xu, refuted Lu's accusations, adding that Junjun had actually requested to receive breast augmentation surgery in April 2024, according to Hubei TV.

"At that time, we turned down his request. But he kept visiting our clinic and was very insistent on receiving the surgery. As such, after giving him three months to weigh his decision, we performed the surgery on him in July," said Xu.

Xu added that the surgery aimed at augmenting Junjun's chest muscles "to boost his masculinity", rather than his breasts, even though Junjun had apparently told the clinic that he "is a boy who wants to be a girl", reported Hubei TV.

Separately, Xu also questioned whether Junjun really suffers from an intellectual disability, asking: "Can a person with the intellect of a four or five-year-old child graduate from vocational school and take up jobs like him?"

Junjun underwent another diagnosis

In response to Xu's challenge, Lu brought Junjun to a mental hospital in Wuhan for a comprehensive check-up on Aug. 9, according to Hubei TV.

The doctor's note confirmed that Junjun suffers from depression and intellectual disability while adding that he has suicidal ideation.

Junjun was hospitalised after the diagnosis.

Dispute escalated to local authorities

According to Hubei TV, after going through mediation, the clinic agreed that Junjun did not need to pay what was owed.

However, Lu was unhappy with this solution, contending that the clinic should compensate their family an additional 20,000 yuan (S$3,655) for the damages caused to Junjun.

The mother said: "After numerous rounds of negotiations, the clinic finally took out Junjun's implants on Aug. 7. My son had to undergo intrusive surgery again!"

The dispute has now been escalated to the district health bureau, and the authority will follow up with Lu within two months, reported Hubei TV.

"I just want my son to live a life like a normal person," pleaded Lu.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001-01-4616 | Whatsapp: 65714400 (for targets of online harms)

Top images via @帮女郎在行动/Douyin