The Woman Who Can
Quadruple amputee Corinne Hutton inspires with a never-say-no attitude
WHEN you have no hands or feet, you could be forgiven for saying the occasional, “I can’t”. Not quadruple amputee Corinne Hutton. “I never allow myself to think ‘can’t’,” she says. “I can try; I can try something – and I might fail doing so – but I don’t allow myself to think about ‘can’t’ in the first place.”
Keen runner Corinne had taken ill with a seemingly routine cold in September 2013. But her symptoms suddenly worsened and she ended up hospitalised with acute pneumonia. This led to sepsis and Corinne was given only a 5% chance of survival. While she was unconscious, family rallied and doctors worked to save what they could of her organs.
She beat the odds to survive, but her hands and feet had been starved of oxygen for so long that there was no choice other than to amputate. She lost both her hands and her feet.
It would have been easy for Corinne to give up her active lifestyle after this, but her impressive positivity has seen her achieve goals that many fully able-bodied people would feel unable to undertake.
The 48-year-old has completed a triathlon, climbed Ben Nevis and most recently scaled Mount Kilimanjaro.
Corinne, who is a single mum to 10-year-old Rory, is now learning to run again on prosthetic blades.
“It’s really not as easy as its looks,” she says, laughing. “But then I did start with a hill, the one behind my house.
“Rory and I set out and I had a goal of getting to the top of it. Then we decided to run on and it ended up being four miles in total. It felt amazing.”
Being active has always been important to Corinne, of Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire. Until 2013, she considered herself fit and healthy.
She says, “Before the illness I loved exercise and I was a keen runner. It was something I took for granted and it was beneficial both physically and mentally.
“I also liked to have a challenge to aim for. I am so grateful – and relieved – that nothing has changed there. I’m delighted that I am still the person I was before and that I have a desire to achieve and to take on challenges.”
Promoting activity is also an important theme in Corinne’s daily work. She is the founder of Finding Your
“I had 5% chance of survival
Feet (FYF), a charity that supports people affected by amputation or limb difference through a range of sporting initiatives and social inclusion projects.
Corinne says: “After my illness, I wanted to help others like me, to share my experiences and to make a positive difference to their lives. Finding Your feet is the result – and it’s also given me a new career.”
Hundreds of Scots become amputees every year and in 2015, the most recent figures available, 704 lost at least one limb. Limb amputation is a risk for a growing number of people with Type 2 diabetes.
Corinne explains that one of the biggest problems for many amputees is isolation. Research shows that quality of life – and even life expectancy – is greatly reduced without social inclusion.
She says: “It’s shocking, but as many as a third of vascular amputees do not live more than a year after