A Calgary woman has become the first Canadian to receive enough donations from strangers through a U.S. website to get breast augmentation surgery.

Candace Leadley, a 26-year-old single mother, came across a website called My Free Implants while surfing the internet in 2006. The site connects women wanting bigger busts with men willing to donate money to their operations.

Candace Leadley found enough benefactors through a U.S. website to cover the $8,500 cost of breast implants.
(CBC)

Leadley set up a profile and posted some pictures of herself. Soon, she was chatting online with men from around the world.

"I just had guys wanting to talk to me and messaging me," she told CBC News. "I made some pretty good friendships from there and then the donations started coming in."

She eventually found enough benefactors who donated $8,500 for her surgery in April that will take her from a size 29A to a 36C. The money will be transferred directly from the website to her surgeon.

Leadley, who works as a framer, said she suffers from low self-esteem and felt that getting bigger breasts will make her feel better about herself.

Myfreeimplants.com features profiles of women, such as Candace Leadley, who want breast augmentation surgery.
(CBC)

"A lot of people have asked me: 'Are you crazy? Why can't you just be happy with the way you are?' And I tell them, 'You know, thank you for your opinion or whatever, but I want to do this.'"

More than 3,000 women, including 350 Canadians, are registered on the website, which was started by Jay Moore and his friend Jason Gunstra. The two got the idea after they met a waitress in Las Vegas who just got breast implants and was drumming up extra tips so her friend could get them, too.

Critics of the site call it porn.

"What the message is, is if you are independent and confident about yourself and about your sexuality, then you should prove it by prostituting yourself without getting paid," said Rebecca Sullivan, a professor at the University of Calgary who specializes in gender and popular culture.

Website revenues hit $1 million

But co-founder Jay Moore disagrees, calling his site a community service.

"Guys can get, you know, soft pornographic stuff on the web for free. It's not like they're going to go to this site to pay for it, so it's really about the people you're meeting and the connections you're making," said Moore from California.

He said some men have been banned from the website because they have asked for too much information, such as an address or phone number, from the women.

Moore said the site made $1 million last year, and could allow him to quit his day job soon.