Georgia hospital cancels young man’s gender-affirming surgery, leaving him devastated

A scheduled gender-affirming surgery was abruptly canceled, raising concerns about access to transgender healthcare in Georgia.

SAVANNAH, Georgia (CNN/WTOC)- A young Georgia man says he is heartbroken after his scheduled gender-affirming surgery was suddenly canceled.

Indigo, who was set to undergo a mastectomy, said the procedure was crucial for his well-being.

“I’d be able to breathe for the first time. I’d be so free,” he said.

For now, he continues wearing a chest binder to ease his gender dysphoria.

“If I’m not wearing a binder, then I’m completely disassociating from my body at all times,” Indigo said.

Unexpected Cancellation

Indigo was preparing for surgery when he received a call from Seaport Plastic Surgery, informing him that Memorial Health would no longer allow gender-affirming surgeries at the facility.

“On Thursday, we got a call from Seaport Plastic Surgery saying that Memorial Health had pulled gender-affirming surgeries from their roster,” Indigo said. “They’re not going to be continuing doing any gender-affirming surgeries with Seaport.”

He described the cancellation as devastating.

“It’s absolutely devastating to keep trying and trying and trying, only to have it pulled out from under me,” he said. “To not even have a chance to do it anymore.”

A Matter of Mental Health

For Indigo, the surgery was about more than physical appearance—it was about mental health.

“Getting on testosterone for the first time was the first time I’ve ever felt a need to live,” he said.

The cost of seeking the procedure elsewhere is out of reach for him.

“This is it. I can’t. I can’t go anywhere else. It’s too expensive to go anywhere else,” he said.

Hospital Responds

Memorial Health declined to do an on-camera interview but provided a statement.

“Memorial Health has never had a gender-affirming surgical program, which would require certain standards of care across multiple clinical disciplines,” the statement read. “Like other hospitals, we have a responsibility to follow state and federal laws and regulations. For gender-affirming surgeries, there are laws and regulations around age. We follow those. Licensed physicians use their training and experience to exercise independent medical judgment to assess patients’ needs and determine the course of treatment within those laws and regulations.”

It remains unclear whether Memorial Health has canceled all gender-affirming procedures.