A mother has been able to hold her late daughter's hand once more after meeting the woman who received it in a limb transplant. Jackie Kirwan, 65, said her daughter Georgie Peterson would be 'over the moon' to know she had made such a difference to someone's life.
Georgie, 33, from Liverpool, died last August following a long-term serious illness which led to debilitating seizures. She had been on the organ donation registry since she was 17, and after her death, Jackie agreed to donate her limbs. Her left hand went to Kim Smith, who lost her hands and feet as a result of sepsis in 2017.
The women met earlier this year after Kim wrote to her donor's family. Speaking at their second reunion, Jackie said: 'We referred to Georgie as our human sunshine. Meeting Kim was unreal. We were both crying and she told me she was forever grateful and she would look after her hand forever.' Kim also received part of Georgie's tattoo reading 'noli timere', Latin for 'don't be afraid'.
Kim, 64, 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. We met for the first time at the end of March and it was very emotional. We chatted like we'd known each other for years.'
Georgie had been diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called periventricular nodular heterotopia (PVNH), which causes drug-resistant epilepsy. Despite her condition, she earned a degree in English and loved dancing, the gym and swimming. She died on August 25, 2025, after a seizure left her brain starved of oxygen.
Jackie said agreeing to donate her daughter's limbs was an easy decision. 'Georgie had said it was the soul that was important and I agreed. You don't get to hold your child's hand again after they die, but now I can.'
