'I'm so grateful to the donor and their family': Leeds hand transplant patient in powerful new documentary
“Thank you doesn’t seem enough” says a Leeds hand transplant patient who is the subject of a powerful new Sky News documentary.
Kim Smith is the subject of The Gift which shares her story from becoming a quadruple amputee, to receiving a life-changing donor hand. – a surgery only carried out in the UK by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Kim, from Milton Keynes, was on holiday in Spain in 2017 when she developed sepsis, a severe and life-threatening infection which led to her being placed in an induced coma and having all four of her limbs amputated the following year.
She devoted years to recovery and rehabilitation before applying to join the waiting list to receive a hand transplant. After a three year wait, Kim finally received the gift of donor hands, becoming the 12th patient in the UK to receive this rare transplant.
The transplant was carried out by Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ exceptional multi-disciplinary team led by Consultant Plastic Surgeon Professor Simon Kay OBE.
Professor Kay said: “Hands are so much more than mechanical parts, they play an irreplaceable role in human communication and connection and so it is always an honour to be able to carry out such a life-changing surgery. The journey for our patients is filled with uncertainty, and so it is a wonderful moment when we are able tell them they have a donor.
“Kim faced unexpected and severe complications during surgery which meant we were could only successfully complete one hand transplant, not the double replacement we had hoped to carry out. Nonetheless her recovery has been remarkable. It is heart-warming to see how much her life has changed with her new hand thanks to the generosity of her donor and their family.”
Kim said: “I am so very grateful to the donor and their family for giving me this incredible hand. It has changed my life, enabling me to do so much more than I could before. Thank you doesn’t seem enough. I’d also like to thank Professor Kay and his team for making this life-changing gift of my hand possible.”
Prof Kay added: “Hand transplant is a rare, complex and extremely specialist surgery and, as with Kim’s case, it can take years to find a match. This is partly because hands and upper limbs are not currently included on the organ donor register and so transplant is only possible with the family’s specific consent. It is a hard conversation to have at the worst of moments, but if more of us spoke to our loved ones and shared our wishes whilst fit and well, then the decision becomes easier and more lives like Kim’s could be changed through transplant.”
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is the only provider in the UK of hand and upper limb transplantation. The Trust carried out the first UK hand transplant in 2012 and first UK double hand transplant in 2016.
The Gift is available to watch on Sky News’ YouTube channel from Friday 28 November 2025.
There is more information about the service on the Leeds Teaching Hospitals website, including information on who can receive a transplant and how to join the waiting list.