Hopefully, other amputees will now look at me and push on
Corinne Hutton has long been an advocate of increasing organ donation.
Plans are under way for an opt-out system for organ donation in Scotland, with legislation tabled at the Scottish Parliament last summer.
And as living proof of the amazing difference donations can make, Corinne wants to do all she can.
“I’d like to work with the Scottish Government to see what they need to achieve and get them where they need to be,” said Corinne.
“I remember having a conversation about how, if everyone was on the organ donation list, surgeons wouldn’t be able to cope with the transplants.
“So it needs to be right and I want to know what their message is and how I can help.
“I’d definitely like to do more on diabetes, which results in a lot of amputations.”
Now the landscape for how to raise awareness and funds for the charity has changed totally thanks to Corinne’s headline-making surgery.
On the day the life-changing call came through from Leeds, Corinne had just attended the year-ahead planning meeting for her charity Finding Your Feet.
And she wants to be even more of an inspiration for the Troopers, as the amputees the charity works with are called.
“I hope this will show them that you don’t give up,” said Corinne, who became the first quadruple amputee to climb Mount Kilimanjaro last year.
“I don’t want them to think ‘this is it’. I want them to push themselves and not just accept what they’ve been given.
“I want them to get outside their comfort zone. I see my role as getting them to think they can try a bit harder.
“They can find a life for themselves after their amputation.
“Using these hands to make a difference for other people will happen through Finding Your Feet.
“I do a lot of public speaking to try and raise awareness and show what is possible. Now I hope to be able to do even more, because I’ve got a whole new story to tell.”