First Scot to have double hand transplant says helping others is therapy

A mum who underwent the first double hand transplant in Scotland says the charity she started to help other amputees helped her through her own journey.

Six years after becoming the first Scot to receive a double hand transplant and just months after receiving a new kidney, Corinne Hutton tells Scotland Tonight that she will always think of the donor and their “incredible” gift to her, which helped save her life.

The Lochwinnoch mum-of-one lost both her hands and feet in 2013 after contracting sepsis following a chest infection. She collapsed in hospital and spent six weeks fighting for her life, including time in a coma.

After doctors saved her, Corinne was told that the tissue in her hands and feet was too severely damaged to be saved, and they would need to be amputated.

“When the news was first given to me, it was the worst day of my life. No idea what it meant, what life would be like, what I’d be capable of,” she said.

“I had a four-year-old son. Could I be a mum? Could I look after him? I had no idea at all, and nobody seemed to be able to tell me either.”

Corinne Hutton says she 'had to keep going' after losing hands and feet to sepsis. — Corinne Hutton says she ‘had to keep going’ after losing hands and feet to sepsis. STV News

“The first thought that went through my head – and it still bothers me – was, ‘I’ll never wear another flip-flop’. Things like, ‘I’ll never dip my toes in the water. I’ll never walk in the sand.’ And this shouldn’t be that important.

“I should be thinking, you know, ‘Can I walk again? Can I drive? Can I look after my son?’ But those things still stick in my head, and I still could cry when I see people in flip-flops.”

Recognising the need for peer support within the amputee community, Corinne founded the charity Finding Your Feet, Scotland’s only dedicated charity for people with limb differences.

“I had the family all around about me, trying to help and trying to work out what life would be like. I think pretty quickly there were a lot of people that wanted to help me.

“We thought ‘maybe there’s an opening here for a charity in Scotland to help amputees.’

“It’s quite hard to find a reason to get up in the morning, and I liked that feeling of helping other people.

“I liked that I wasn’t the charity; somebody else was. And that suited me a wee bit better. And I think that was a huge therapy.”

Corinne says helping others through her charity has been 'a huge therapy' — Corinne says helping others through her charity has been ‘a huge therapy’ Supplied

Despite her progress, self-doubt crept in.

“There were times where I thought, ‘Was it [my life] worth saving?’ because I was so disabled at that point. I felt useless. I felt worthless. And you doubt yourself, for sure, and what your capabilities are.

“But equally, I had a son, and that was the biggest motivation for me. I needed him to see that I was trying to still be mum, and I was pushing, and it mattered that I was a normal mum for him.

“You’re a single mum. What can you do? You just have to get your son to school, get him ready, pack his lunch. There’s no other option. I often thought there wasn’t really any choice – I just had to keep going.”

Corinne, after her transplant in 2019 Supplied

Corinne leads by example. She completed the London Triathlon and was the first female quadruple amputee to climb Ben Nevis and Mount Kilimanjaro.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is that I said yes to everything. No matter how scary, no matter where it was, I just said yes and figured it out later,” she said.

“Whether it was Downing Street, the Scottish Government, or big companies wanting me to speak, I just said yes. Those experiences made me feel alive and made me realise my life was worth saving. It gave me purpose.”

Corinne said she was “dead against” the prospect of a double hand transplant when it was first suggested to her by doctors.

She added: “I’d already gone through so many operations, and my immune system had let me down before. I didn’t know if I could handle being immunosuppressed for the rest of my life.

“But I decided to go to the appointment and just listen. It became clear that they really believed they could help me, and I got caught up in the excitement.

“They were the first to perform a double hand transplant in Scotland, and what they thought they could do for me seemed amazing. So, I decided to go for it.”

Corinne had to wait four and a half years for the transplant in 2019 – becoming the third person in the UK to undergo the procedure successfully.

“When it finally happened, I wasn’t sure it was real. But when I woke up, I saw my hands and immediately knew they were a perfect match. It felt natural like they were mine.

“Of course, I had to remind myself someone had given me this gift. I’ll always think of the donor and their family. What an incredible act of generosity.”

Scotland Tonight: A Conversation with… Corinne Hutton airs tonight on STV and the STV Player at 8.30pm.