A quadruple amputee from Scotland was the first to have a double transplant. He is currently attempting to raise funds for a charity challenge by riding a second-hand scooter all the way along the North Coast 500.
Cor Hutton, quadruple amputee is embarking on an adventure to raise money in support of the amputees her charity, Finding Your Feet.
After suffering severe pneumonia and sepsis in 2013, the 52-year old woman from Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire had her lower legs and hands amputated.
She was given a 5% chance to survive, but it wasn’t until doctors performed life-saving surgery that she was able to live.
Cor Hutton practicing before she embarks on her adventure (Andrew Milligan/PA).
The mum-of-one was fitted with prosthetic legs and, after five years of trying to find the right donor to match her own blood group, skin tone and hand size, she successfully underwent pioneering hand transplant surgery in 2019.
With her hands nearly 100% functioning, she decided to get on a scooter to continue the 500-mile journey.
“I am an old-school biker,”She told PA news agency “and this will be a way for me to get back into it.”
She answered the question, “What motivated you to accept this challenge?” “I have a bee in my bonnet about getting on and doing the things that I wanted to do previously and haven’t been able to do.
“I was a biker, and I want to get back on the bike.
“I want to show that I can get my life back.
“I’m also inspired by the donor and her selfless family.
“I promised myself and them that I would live life to the full because to be given these hands is such an incredible gift, and the pain that the family goes through is never far from my thoughts.”
Ms Hutton will ride an AJS125cc while Mark McLean will be following her. “on a much bigger, better bike”.
“I’ve managed to go up to 60mph on this one, once, but that was downhill with a lot of wind behind me,”She laughed.
“So it’s going to be interesting tackling the motorway near Inverness on this wee bike.”
While looking forward to the scenic trip, one of Scotland’s most-visited attractions, the motorbike enthusiast was open about the challenges ahead.
“My doctors tell me that I have 95% functionality in one hand and 75% in the other.
“That sounds great, but it’s still a massive effort for me to keep the muscles engaged for long periods of time.
“On the bike I’ll be working the acceleration, which will involve a lot of twisting the wrist, and the brakes, and the indicators.
“And my prosthetic legs make it quite hard to stay steady on the bike, it’s only wee.”
Her main concern is whether the bike makes it to the finish.
“The bike can only go about 40 miles before I need to fill it up,”She said.
“I will need to map out all the petrol stations in the area, I can’t imagine there are that many.
“So I have made things quite difficult for myself, which is certainly not the first time.
“Other bikers on the route will probably tease me about my wee one, but I can’t imagine many of them will be doing the trip without their legs.”
Ms. Hutton’s latest expedition is not the last of a series of challenges she has completed, including the London Triathlon. She also became the first female quadruple amputee to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
She sent a message to all people with disabilities before she began her challenge. “There’s so much you can do if you push yourself.
“I want to show people you can get up and do the things you want to do.”
The North Coast 500 route runs along the coast of northern Ireland, beginning and ending at Inverness.
Ms Hutton, who received her third honorary doctorate this year, will be setting off from her charity’s premises in Paisley on August 22 and plans to complete the road trip in seven days.
This trip is scheduled ahead of Sepsis Awareness Month in September and World Sepsis Day in September.
For people who have lost their limbs, Finding Your Feet offers vital support.
Ms. Hutton founded the charity one year after losing her legs and hands. It offers fitness classes, emotional support and assistance to amputees living in Scotland.
To donate to Ms Hutton’s cause, visit https://findingyourfeet.net/cors-nc500/