Corinne Hutton woke in a hospital bed to discover both hands and feet had been amputated in an operation which saved her life But rather than fall into despair, the mum-of-one, who lives near Beith, found a new and remarkable determination, writes Donald Reid.

And her charity, Finding Your Feet, has been doing remarkable work to help other amputees.

Describing her thoughts as she woke up in that hospital bed in June last year, Corinne, 44, said: “I was in such a state of post-op lethargy – the gas playing mind games – almost convincing me that it had all been a bad dream; that my legs and hands were still mine.

“Suddenly, the realisation that I was now indeed a quadruple amputee struck like a bolt of lightning.

“My heart dropped like a stone; stomach churning as I again floated in and out of consciousness. It was a hellish gut-wrenching feeling. Some might say it was indeed a worst nightmare.” “I was so scared. It was all so shocking, so overwhelming. Inside my head a wee voice was telling me that I had survived a major operation against all the odds. I was alive, even if my future was very uncertain. I told myself that nothing in life is certain.

“My mind was buzzing. How would I cope? What lay ahead for me? This was a new beginning that would draw deep down on all my physical and mental strength. But determined I would do my best to make sure it was a new if very different life, worth living for me and my son.” Corinne lives with son, Rory, aged six, in a spacious house with a large garden in the countryside.

Corinne had to undergo three life-saving op at Glasgow Royal Infirmary following a chest infection which developed into pneumonia and ultimately deadly septicaemia.

She said that the initial recovery phase was remarkably smooth, but not without moments when she was at a low ebb and the tears flowed.

However her positive attitude and burning desire to give Rory a Mary Poppins of a mother who was able to do just about anything, was undoubtedly a key factor in her drive to keep well.

Corinne soon had two hi-tech prosthetic legs fitted, and was recently given a single £35,000 robot hand. She has undergone seven difficult operations, spending around 40 hours in theatre over the past 16 months. Now she is set to be the first recipient of a double hand transplant in an operation to be carried out by Professor Simon Kay, in a publicly-funded operation at Leeds General Hospital that she hopes will be ‘life-changing’.

She said: “It’s tragic to think that I can only get my hand transplants because someone will have lost their life, but I have to put that behind me and just hope that medical science will be successful in giving me new hands.” She added: “I know that surviving against the odds has made me appreciate life much more and given me a determination to live every day to the full and give something back. Not many folk have been so near to death and yet survived and that is a remarkable gift of life that I am so thankful for.” She continued: “Nowadays my friends will confirm that I go at 110 miles per hour and simply don’t slow down. I can walk, ride a horse, cycle, drive, do the housework and anyone seeing me wouldn’t immediately identify the extent of my disability. Even in my initial recovery phase I worked harder and longer than most folk according to my physio. I was so keen to get better as quickly as possible.” Shrugging her shoulders, she said it was the least she could do to thank the surgeons for saving her life.

Today, Corinne treats each day as a golden challenge.

“If I’m not meeting hospital patients or giving a talk to groups or working on events for Finding Your Feet, then I’m preparing meals for Rory, working with him on his homework or doing the everyday chores everyone else has to do around the house. At the end of the day I’m just an ordinary mum. And of course, I have a garden and it’s huge!” She has worked tirelessly to give encouragement to other amputees and their relatives.

That’s why she set up Finding Your Feet. She believes it’s proving to be a great way of helping other folk, financially and emotionally, who experience the life-changing trauma of finding themselves in what she calls ‘a difficult heart-rending place.’ How does Corinne relax? Her eyes sparkle: “By simply being a mum, reading and enjoying music or working in the garden, but most of all working for my charity.” Having already raised tens of thousands of pounds through fundraisers and with donations coming from friends and total strangers, Corinne is now devoting her life to showing how an amputee –- and single working mum – can adapt life to embrace new opportunities, living life to the full each day.

She added: “Almost every single day I meet ordinary people who to me are simply inspirational in their attitude towards life. One case in point is Hugh Wilkie, of Paisley, who heard about me and my charity work.

“He’s now a good friend and regularly drops in for a blether. He actually sponsors himself to walk along the cycle path to my home from Paisley every week because he now values his feet so much more having learned about me losing mine! I find that very humbling.

“He’s a wonderful caring man and the type of person who gives me the strength and encouragement to drive on with my work. Since I started Finding Your Feet I have met so many amazing folk like Hugh, all very special people – ingenious, charming, friendly and generous. They simply capture my heart and I can’t thank them all enough.” She concluded: “If I’ve learned anything it’s that our time on earth is made up of all types of experiences, good and bad. Part of the secret of a balanced life, is to accept the ups and downs with good grace and simply get on with living life to the full, because you only get one chance. Through my eyes, it really is a wonderful world.” You can make a donation to Corinne’s charity at http://www.findingyourfeet.net.