“I’ve Got Hands!” Quadruple amputee Cor Hutton has transplant after five-year wait.
On the fifth anniversary of her charity which supports amputees, single mum Cor, 47, became the first Scottish double hand transplant recipient following years of being unable to find a donor match.
She was finally informed this week that a match for her own blood group, skin tone and hand size had been found. She was taken from Glasgow to Leeds General Infirmary by ambulance, and the surgery began at around 1PM on Monday the 8th January. Surgeons worked tirelessly for 12 hours in an extremely complicated and high-pressure procedure. The team included 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.
Ms Hutton, from Renfrewshire, has been a devoted campaigner for organ donation for years, drawing attention to how many lives are lost or affected everyday, and the importance of registering and making your intentions known to your family. She posed nude in 2016 to raise awareness of her campaign.
Cor collapsed in 2013 from what she thought was just a bad cough. She had developed Pneumonia and Sepsis, and was given just a 5% chance of survival. Doctors saved her organs but were forced to amputate her hands and legs below the knee.
Since her amputations, Cor has set up the charity Finding Your Feet, which supports amputees throughout the UK. The charity has raised over £700,000 for it’s cause. Cor’s latest in a long line of achievements was becoming the first female quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in 2018.
Professor Simon Kay, who was recently appointed OBE in the New Year’s Honours, led the team that performed the transplant. He performed the first double hand transplant in the UK in 2016, and Cor was his sixth procedure.
A representative from the charity thanked those who have supported Cor throughout her journey.
“Cor was close to losing hope about finding a match for a transplant, but that’s not her style. She has accomplished an unbelievable amount since losing her limbs, and we’re certain she’ll continue to inspire people as she builds up strength and learns to use her new hands. It’s bittersweet, because transplants require a donor. That person and her family have changed the lives of many today, and made it possible for a Mum to hold her son’s hand again. Cor will not waste a moment with what they’ve given her.”
Cor’s story has been on almost every major news outlet in the UK and beyond. Here’s a cracker from STV News on her journey so far.
