Amputee defies doctors by walking after five years

The prosthetic legs have enabled Kim Smith to walk for the first time in five years

A quadruple amputee who was told she would never walk again has taken her first steps in five years.

Kim Smith, from Milton Keynes, said she was determined to prove the doctors wrong after her limbs were removed in late 2018.

The life-changing intervention took place after the 62-year-old contracted sepsis while on holiday in Spain.

But thanks to her new prosthetics, Ms Smith said she had been able to wander around her house for the first time since her illness.

She had been abroad in November 2018 when a urine infection became a blood infection - and she was placed in a coma.

Ms Smith's limbs were removed after she was airlifted back to the UK.

Kim Smith had her limbs removed after developing sepsis while on holiday

Her rehabilitation began at Queen Mary's Hospital in Roehampton, south-west London, where she said major progress was made.

Using parallel bars for balance, she had been able to stand up once again.

"It just feels incredible and I can't believe it is happening. It is so, so surreal," said Ms Smith.

"Doctors said it wasn't possible for me to walk; I'm afraid if someone tells me something is impossible I try my hardest to make it possible."

But the new legs haven't come without their challenges. Ms Smith said they take "a lot more energy" to use.

Kim Smith had previously solely relied on her wheelchair to get about

She said she had to swing her hips in order to move, but stressed she relished the challenge.

"It was absolutely amazing to actually stand and walk again," Ms Smith said.

She previously told the BBC her kitchen was too small to allow her to turn in her wheelchair.

It would be "incredible" to be able to roam with more freedom, she said.

"It will be so much easier because a wheelchair trying to fit through a narrow door is a nightmare," she added.

"It'll be lovely to wander around the house. It is just amazing."