The emotional moment a woman who had a double hand transplant hugged her donor’s twin sister has been revealed in a newly released video.
Corinne Hutton is seen holding hands with Deborah Gosling – who agreed for her sister Julie Wild’s limbs to be donated after she died from a sudden brain bleed in 2019.
As they met for the first time, Ms Hutton told Ms Gosling: “I’ll shake your hand because I can.”
Ms Gosling then held Ms Hutton’s fingers and said: “Julie had beautiful hands.”
Ms Hutton, who lost both her hands and legs to sepsis in 2013, replied: “I know that, they were perfect when I got them. Just wonderful.
“Every day they’re doing more than they were the day before.”
Ms Gosling responded by saying her sister would be “so proud”.
The video was filmed when the pair met at the Queen’s Hotel in Leeds in 2019.
They have decided to share their story now to support the NHS Blood and Transplant campaign, which is calling for more people to donate organs and tissue.
‘I didn’t hesitate’
Ms Wild, a mother of two, was rushed to hospital by Ms Gosling in 2019 after she complained of a headache and began struggling to speak.
“I got her in the car, took her to hospital – she got worse and worse en route to the hospital,” said Ms Gosling.
“A nurse and a doctor came on to the scene, took her to a resuscitation room. She was unconscious from then. I knew I had lost my sister.”
She added that a specialist nurse later came to see her to discuss organ donation.
Ms Gosling continued: “It wasn’t a hard decision. I said straight away ‘no problem’.
“They also asked about donating limbs. And I was quite taken aback by it because I had not heard of that before.
“But to give somebody a chance of enhancing their life is absolutely incredible. I didn’t hesitate. Julie didn’t need them anymore, but someone else did.”
Ms Wild’s hands, pancreas, liver and both kidneys were all donated after her death.
The 51-year-old had worked as a phlebotomist – a health worker who takes blood from patients for analysis – at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
‘I will never forget where they come from’
After Ms Wild’s death, Ms Hutton received a call telling her that donor hands had been found.
The 54-year-old, from Lochwinnoch in Scotland, had a 12-hour operation to have her new hands fitted, becoming the sixth person in the UK to receive a double hand transplant.
Reflecting on the meeting, Ms Hutton said: “I was hopeful that, for Deborah, holding the hands and touching and seeing them would give them some light after an otherwise dark situation.”
She added: “The difference [the transplant has made] has been absolutely life-changing.
“I’m so grateful to Julie and her family. I’ll never forget that I am lucky and I will never forget where they’ve come from. And hopefully I will give them a good life.”
Ms Hutton now has about 95% function in her right hand and about 75% in her left hand.
Meanwhile, Ms Gosling said Ms Hutton’s recovery has “been a source of pride” for the family.
“I always wanted to meet Corinne and I will always keep in touch,” said Ms Gosling, a 57-year-old paramedic from Sheffield.
“It’s hard to describe, but it’s quite comforting to know someone has got her hands, that part of her lives on in a way. I couldn’t take my eyes off them when we met.”
Ms Hutton has become an advocate for organ donation. She has founded the charity Finding Your Feet, which supports families affected by amputation or limb absence.
