Mother gets to hold her dead daughter's hand again - by meeting her transplant recipient

Published: 01:51, 8 May 2026 | Updated: 01:58, 8 May 2026 An emotional mother was able to hold her dead daughter's hand again by meeting her transplant recipient.  Jackie Kirwan, 65, said Georgie Peterson would have been 'over the moon' to know that she had helped Kim Smith, who lost her limbs as a result of sepsis.  Georgie died aged 33 on August 25, 2025, following complications caused by a rare brain disorder which led to debilitating seizures. 'We referred to Georgie as our human sunshine,' her mother said.  Georgie had been on the organ donation register since she was just 17, around the same time she was diagnosed with her disorder.  Jackie agreed to donate her daughter's limbs following her passing - with 64-year-old Kim becoming the grateful recipient a short time later. The pair met for the first time earlier this year in a moment they described as 'very emotional', and this week they enjoyed each other's company once again.  Jackie said at their reunion: 'Georgie's opinion was that the body is what you live in and it's the soul that's important.  Jackie Kirwan (left) was able to hold her dead daughter's hand again earlier this year by meeting Kim Smith (right) - her transplant recipient Kim lost all of her limbs after contracting a UTI and then suffering from sepsis - and was given Georgie Peterson's hand last year Georgie (pictured right with her mother Jackie) died last year aged 33 following complications caused by a rare brain disorder which led to debilitating seizures 'I'd decided that if Georgie's donor recipient got in touch that I would meet them. Meeting Kim was unreal. We were both crying and she told me she was forever grateful and she would look after her hand forever.'  She added: 'Georgie was great but she believed she was a burden.'  The University graduate first suffered a seizure a week before her A-Levels and was later diagnosed with periventricular nodular heterotopia. The condition is very rare and causes focal and often drug-resistant epilepsy.  'She struggled with eczema, asthma and depression while her only symptoms of PVNH were seizures and being hypermobile,' Jackie continued.   '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.' Georgie, who was close to her sisters Steph and Sammi, studied English at university and loved dancing, the gym and swimming. However her epilepsy became so severe that she was unable to drive, work or take public transport by herself.  Kim and Jackie described their meeting as 'very emotional', and they are keeping Georgie's name alive by raising awareness about epilepsy and sepsis  Jackie said her daughter would have been 'over to the moon' to know she was able to help Kim Doctors implanted electrodes in her brain so they could determine which part of it was causing the seizures in 2023 and she underwent 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 painfully recalled: 'I thought she was asleep at first.  'But her brain had been starved of oxygen and from the way she was positioned, we think she'd got up and had a seizure. 'Despite everything, her theory was always: "I'd rather it was me than have anybody else suffer from this".' Three months later and Georgie died following a three-day stay in hospital.  A short time on and a donation nurse contacted Jackie about the possibility of her daughter's limbs being donated. For the doting mother, it was a no-brainer.  'It was the easiest decision to agree to the organ donation,' she continued.  'Georgie had joined the register when she was 17 but I never realised families still had to sign on their behalf. '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, the recipient, lost all her limbs after contracting a UTI and then suffering from sepsis while on holiday in Alicante, Spain in 2017. She was later put on a UK waiting list for a double hand transplant and received a new, working left hand in August last year. The former hairdresser had initially undergone a 14-hour-long double hand transplant operation but sadly the right hand was not successful. She has now become naturally left-handed - despite her right being her dominant before. Georgie was described as Jackie's 'human sunshine'  The ambassador for Sepsis Research enjoyed her first Christmas with her new limb last year and said Georgie had given her a 'wonderful gift'. She added: '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.' Jackie and Kim are keeping Georgie's name alive by raising awareness about both sepsis and epilepsy. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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