Cor’s Hands

On the fifth anniversary of Finding Your Feet,  the charity’s Founder Cor became the first Scottish double hand transplant recipient following years of being unable to find a donor match.

After over a dozen false alarms over the years, she was finally informed that a matc­h for her own blood group, skin tone and hand size had been found. She was taken from her home in Lochwinnoch to Leeds General Infirmary by ambulance, and the surgery began at around 1 PM on Monday the 8th January. Surgeons worked tirelessly for 12 hours in an extremely complicated and high-pressure procedure. The team included Professor Simon Kay, who was recently appointed OBE in the New Year’s Honours, and Professor Andrew Hart from Scotland, who performed the surgery to remove Cor’s hands and lower legs in 2013 and has since become her close friend.

Cor lost her hands and feet after contracting Sepsis and acute Pneumonia five years ago and nearly lost her life.  Since her illness she has achieved many things, going on to set up the Finding Your Feet Amputee Charity and three world records among many other achievements…too many to list.  In October 2018, just 3 months before her transplant she even conquered Kilimanjaro – but her dream to hold her son’s hand has finally come true!

There have been over 150 online news articles and Cor was headline news on ITV and BBC for 3 nights in a row! It’s been amazing just how far reaching the news of Cor’s transplant has been reported, with an exclusive report from the Mail on Sunday and great articles from the BBCThe Sunday Post and BBC Scotland. She is now resting at home but found time to give a fantastic interview with Professor Hart on the Kaye Adams Morning Show.

Cor is over the moon with the focus being given about the importance of organ donation.  If you haven’t signed up yet please do, you could change and save lives!  www.organdonationscotland.org/

Cor is making remarkable progress and footage of her now famous ‘finger wiggle’ has been seen all over the world.  She was moving her new fingers within a couple of days and surgeons are amazed at how well she’s doing. She has already achieved so much in her life, we can’t wait to see what she does now!