"I need bigger gloves because my thumb is my big toe"

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A shoemaker loses his thumb during an event workplace accident He replaced it with a toe, but said his only inconvenience was the need for larger gloves.

In 2019, David Lee was trimming shoe heels at his shop when his sweater got tangled in the machine, grabbing his hand. His thumb got caught in a machine and was severed.

At the time, Mr Lee, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, said his biggest concern was how to continue to make a living.

He said: “I knew immediately how bad the situation was and I was just worried that I would never be able to repair my shoes again. I cried just thinking about it because I thought I was going to lose my shop.”

“I cared more about this than my thumb because it’s my passion. It all happened so fast but I felt no pain at all, immediately turned off all the machines and actually went out for a smoke while waiting for the ambulance!”

David Lee, a shoemaker from Nottinghamshire, said he felt almost no pain when his thumb was cut off. (NHS)

After initially going to King’s Mill Hospital in Mansfield, Mr Lee was quickly referred to the Pulvertaft Hand Center at Royal Derby Hospital, where he came up with the idea that a new “thumb” could be made from one of his big toes.

Five days after the accident, it took surgeons about 10 hours to perform the complex surgery, which has been performed only a handful of times at the hospital and is only considered for patients with certain types of amputations.

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In 2026, he reunited with surgeon Gill Arrowsmith on the BBC Radio Derby show on Thursday.

Ms Arrowsmith, one of two hand surgeons who carried out the operation, said at the time: “This surgery is only suitable for patients who have lost most of their thumb, usually around the knuckle. “Not having any thumb at all can cause very serious disabilities, particularly for those in manual jobs.

“This type of injury may mean these patients are unable to continue working, so we are pleased to be able to offer this treatment option.

“David has worked really hard to come back from his injury and is doing really well. He’s the first master shoemaker I’ve ever seen, so it’s great to hear he’s back doing what he loves.”

Mr Li is back at work in his shop and says the toes on his hands are part of him. he tell the bbc: “Maybe people did notice, [but] No one ever said anything to me.

“But now I’ve gotten to the point where, you know, this is part of me and I don’t care.”