Mum shares ‘unreal’ moment she met transplant recipient who received daughter’s hand

A mum has come face-to-face with the transplant recipient who received her late daughter’s hand for the first time.

Jackie Kirwan, 65, was heartbroken when her daughter, Georgie Peterson, passed away at the age of 33 from complications caused by a congenital brain malformation.

Georgie, from Liverpool, had suffered seizures and other medical issues as a result of her condition before she died on August 25, 2025.

Georgie had been on the organ donation registry since she was 17 years old, and after her death, grieving mum Jackie decided to donate her daughter’s limbs.

Her left hand was given to Kim Smith, who lost her hands and feet in 2017 after contracting sepsis.

The women met earlier this year in what has been described as a ‘very emotional’ experience. They then agreed to meet up a second time.

Speaking during the subsequent meet-up, Jackie said: ‘We referred to Georgie as our ‘human sunshine’.

‘Her opinion was that the body is what you live in, and it’s the soul that’s important.

‘I’d decided that if Georgie’s donor recipient got in touch, I would meet them.’

Jackie said both she and Kim were reduced to tears after they met.

‘Meeting Kim was unreal,’ she continued. ‘We were both crying, and she told me she was forever grateful and she would look after her hand forever.’

Georgie was diagnosed with a rare brain condition called peri ventricular nodular heterotopia (PVNH) while she was completing her A-Levels. It causes neurons to fail to migrate properly during development, forming clumps.

The condition causes focal epilepsy which is often resistant to drug treatment.

Jackie added: ‘Everybody thought Georgie was great, but she believed she was a burden.

‘She struggled with eczema, asthma and depression, while her only symptoms of PVNH were seizures and being hypermobile.

‘Growing up, she used to bite her tongue, randomly wet herself and suffered from a lot of headaches.

‘A week before her A-Levels she had a massive seizure, which we thought was exam stress.

‘But three months later, she had another one and was referred to tests. Those childhood symptoms were actually seizures all along.’

Eventually Georgie’s epilepsy became so severe that she was unable to drive, work, or take public transport alone.

In 2023, doctors placed electrodes in her brain to determine which part of her brain was causing the seizures, and she had a further surgery last year.

But in May 2025, Georgie’s seizures increased and just a few months later, Jackie found her collapsed in the bathroom.

She passed away following a three-day stint in hospital.

Jackie continued: ‘It was the easiest decision to agree to the organ donation.

‘Georgie had joined the register when she was 17 but I never realised families still had to sign on their behalf.

‘The nurse asked me about Georgie’s limbs and I stopped for a moment.

‘But Georgie had said it was the soul that was important, and I agreed. You don’t get to know where the donations go due to patient confidentiality.

‘But, I later received a letter from Kim, thanking me and asking to meet. My first thought was that I could meet her and hold Georgie’s hand.

‘But then I realised that was wrong as it is Kim’s hand now – not Georgie’s.

‘I think Georgie would be over the moon if she knew what it had done for Kim.’

Kim Smith, 64, lost all her limbs after contracting a UTI and then suffering from sepsis while on holiday in Alicante, Spain.

She said: ‘It is extremely rare for a donor’s family and the recipient to meet.

‘I wrote a letter of thanks six weeks after my surgery, but a thank you never seems quite enough.

‘In the letter, I had said I’d love to meet my donor’s family and in February, I had a reply from Jackie.

‘We met for the first time at the end of March and it was very emotional.

‘I didn’t think I was nervous until she walked through the door and I then was shaking like a leaf!

‘But we chatted like we’d known each other for years. It was lovely.

‘It’s so nice that we’re still in touch.’

The pair are now hoping to continue raising awareness of both sepsis and epilepsy and keep Georgie’s memory alive.