This Morning TV appearance shines spotlight on our amazing Pulvertaft team
A UHDB patient today made a special TV appearance to thank the Trust’s Pulvertaft Hand Centre staff for the role they played in saving his career.
David Lee was joined on the ITV This Morning sofa by Miss Jill Arrowsmith, Consultant Hand Surgeon, who helped construct a new thumb for him following an accident - using his big toe!
The innovative procedure and fantastic rehab and aftercare provided by a variety of different colleagues in the specialist team have helped ensure that - just over a year on from his accident - David has been able to continue his career as a cobbler.
Presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield both expressed their amazement, as Miss Arrowsmith explained the complexities of the 10-hour operation, which took place on January 2019.
For Miss Arrowsmith, her experience spending the morning at the ITV studios in London was “all a bit surreal”.
She added: “We never thought it was going to be such a big story and that so many people would be interested. I’ve never done anything like this before, so it’s extremely exciting.
“Holly and Phil were just great and are so good at putting you at ease. It all went by so quickly but I had such a fantastic day and it was great to be able to tell David’s story and give recognition to our superb UHDB colleagues.”
As well as Holly and Phil, both Miss Arrowsmith and David met several other famous faces on set, including Rochelle Humes from The Saturdays, actors Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan, Judge Rinder, and Dancing on Ice’s Dr Tom Naylor.
David said: “I just wanted to say thank you to everyone at Royal Derby Hospital, for the amazing treatment they’ve given me. From everyone on Ward 204, to everyone in the Pulvertaft Team - the Nurses, the physios, and of course, Miss Arrowsmith and the superb surgical team.
“I never thought my accident would lead me to be invited here to the This Morning studio, and I’m actually a bit embarrassed by the attention. But I really wanted to give the hospital and Pulvertaft team some publicity for the work they do. It’s thoroughly deserved and I can’t thank the staff enough for helping to fix me.”