Amputee from Milton Keynes rejects 'upsetting' claims she refused hand transplant from black donor
A quadruple amputee says online claims that she refused a hand transplant from a black donor have left her upset and scared of leaving the house.
Kim Smith from Milton Keynes had her hands and legs amputated in 2018 after a urinary tract infection turned into sepsis while she was on holiday in Spain.
In 2021 she began noticing posts and articles circulating online accusing her of refusing hand donations because they were from a black woman and a man.
Mrs Smith denies the claims and says the only offer she ever received was for the hand transplant she had in December 2025.
She has taken screenshots of more than 80 posts where she has been accused of lying about her condition and articles claiming she refused hand donations from various people.
"It's scary because people believe it and they're making me look racist," she said. "I'm scared that I'm going to get abused when I go out.
"Being vulnerable in a wheelchair, it's frightening that someone could come up and abuse me just because of something they've read online.
"I don’t want to get myself upset by it. At one point, I thought I’d come off social media, but I will not let them win."
The 65-year-old also hit out at people calling her "picky", explaining that the donation process works around blood types and immunology, not around preference, and she never had a choice over what hand she received.
Mrs Smith has now reported the abuse to the police and says she is happy to go to court.
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: "We are investigating a report of online harassment relating to a victim's restricted mobility.
"We recognise the significant impact that harassment and abuse can have on victims, particularly when it targets a personal characteristic or vulnerability.
"Our investigation is ongoing and officers are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry to establish the full circumstances of the report.
"We would encourage anybody who has information that may assist our investigation to come forward."
Mrs Smith's story was featured in a TV documentary called The Gift which puts the spotlight on the life-changing surgery.
After waiting for four years, she became the 12th patient in the UK to receive the rare transplant.
The procedure to attach a right hand did not succeed as the right hand clotted and lost blood flow.
Despite this, Mrs Smith remains determined to keep raising awareness for sepsis and says "one hand is better than no hand".
She added: "I'm just trying to save lives as I don't want anyone to go through what I've gone through.
"I just want people to know how serious sepsis is.
"From feeling unwell to being put in the coma it was less than 48 hours.
"People need to know about the symptoms and get themselves to hospital."
Mrs Smith says she is "extremely grateful" for her hand and being able to hold her granddaughter was an "absolutely priceless" moment on her life.
She is now the ambassador for Sepsis Research FEAT and is currently preparing for a zip wire challenge fundraiser for Ride2Give.
The grandmother and campaigner hopes online hate does not distract her from her work and she's looking forward to doing more for charity.
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