Carpenter who sawed off fingers given 'second chance' after toe-to-thumb transplant

A carpenter who accidentally sawed off several of his fingers can carry on working after surgeons used one of his toes to make a new thumb. Marcin Michalec, 46, was operating a table milling machine in April 2023 when his hand slipped, resulting in the accidental severing of his thumb and index finger.

The father-of-two believed his "life was over" and was terrified he would never be able to resume his career. But a year later Marcin, who lives in Desford, Leicestershire, underwent a toe-to-thumb transplant, which is rarely performed on adults and is more commonly used for children born with missing fingers.

During the nine-hour surgery at St Thomas' Hospital, surgeons removed the second toe from Marcin's right foot and transplanted it to serve as a new thumb for his injured left hand. Now, Marcin is "full of optimism for the future" and is eager to return to work, hopefully by autumn this year.

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"I was devastated. I thought my life was over and a nightmare would begin because I couldn't imagine any other life. I love the carpentry profession," he told PA Real Life. "It feels amazing to have my life back and I know I can go back to what I love it's very exciting."

"I did not expect (this surgery) to be possible. It's amazing."

Marcin, originally from Zakopane in Poland, has nearly three decades of experience in carpentry and joinery, describing himself as an "artist". He's known for crafting unique wooden gifts for his wife Monika, 42, especially for special occasions like Valentine's Day, with a hand-carved table he made for a client ranking as his favourite creation.

In April 2023, Marcin was operating a table milling machine in his London workshop when his hand slipped and went "straight to the cutters", resulting in the loss of two of his fingers. He said: "I remember everything because people were in the workshop, shouting 'What's happened? ' and they started running away.

"I looked at my hand and I only saw small parts of bones and I started pulling back the skin because I didn't want to bleed too much." His son Slawomir, who was also working there, initially thought it was "a joke" but quickly sprang into action.

Together, Marcin and Slawomir used their belts as makeshift tourniquets to stem the bleeding before Marcin was rushed to King's College Hospital. He was transferred to St Thomas' Hospital but doctors could not reattach his severed finger and thumb.

They suggested a prosthesis, but that would have spelled the end of Marcin's career in carpentry as he relies on his left hand to guide his tools. "I started worrying about the future because my wife and I had many plans," he said.

"I thought my career was finished. I only had my right hand."

That's when George Murphy, a consultant plastic surgeon at Guy's and St Thomas', came into the picture with a life-changing suggestion: a toe-to-thumb transplant for Marcin. The nine-hour surgery saw Marcin's second toe from his right foot repurposed to create a new thumb on his left hand.

Typically, the second toe is chosen due to its suitable blood vessels, tendons, and tissue and because it doesn't affect balance or walking and running. Marcin said: "I knew I'd lose something in my foot but gain something in my hand, so I was excited."

Waking up post-surgery, seeing his hand partially restored, he said, "When I woke up after surgery and I saw the parts of my hand back, I was very happy."

"I know now I can grab some bottles of water or grab a glass with water and drink it. It's not the same as before but with practice every day it's getting much better and I feel much better in myself."

Marcin has also undergone a series of other surgeries including two procedures to repair the damaged tendons in his fingers. Just a week after his third surgery, he was back on his feet walking normally, and is having therapy sessions aimed at strengthening and improving the dexterity of his left hand.

Mr Murphy, who managed the team responsible for the intricate operation, said: "It's relatively unusual for adults to have a toe transplanted to their hand. This is the first such transplant which has taken place for an adult at St Thomas' in recent decades, and there are only a few centres in the UK performing this surgery.

"I'm glad he is making an excellent recovery and we hope he can start working again soon."

Marcin said: "There is always lots of work to do, but you must take care of your health and be very careful with your life. Look after yourself and love your life."