‘I need bigger gloves because my thumb is a big toe’

David Lee’s thumb was sliced off in an accident at his shop in 2019, but that didn’t stop the cobbler from doing what he loves

A cobbler who lost his thumb during a workplace accident replaced it with his toe – but said his only inconvenience is needing larger gloves.

David Lee was trimming the heel of a shoe in his shop in 2019 when his jumper became entangled with the machinery, pulling in his hand. His thumb got caught up in the machine and was sliced off.

At the time, Mr Lee from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, said his biggest worry was how he would continue to earn a living.

He said: “Straight away, I knew how bad it was and I just worried that I wouldn’t be able to fix shoes again. I cried my eyes out when I thought about it, as I thought I was going to lose my shop.

“I was more concerned about that than my thumb because this is my passion. It all happened so fast but I felt no pain at all and straight away just turned all the machines off and actually went outside for a fag, while I waited for the ambulance!”

David Lee, a cobbler from Nottinghamshire, said he barely felt any pain when his thumb was sliced off (NHS)

After initially going to King’s Mill Hospital in Mansfield, Mr Lee was quickly referred to the Pulvertaft Hand Centre, at Royal Derby Hospital, where the idea was put to him that a new “thumb” could be created using one of his big toes.

Five days on from the accident, surgeons spent around 10 hours completing the complex procedure, which has been performed only a handful of times at the hospital and is only considered for patients with certain types of amputations.

Now in 2026, he was reunited with his surgeon Jill Arrowsmith on BBC Radio Derby on Thursday.

Ms Arrowsmith, one of the two consultant hand surgeons who performed the operation, said at the time: “This procedure is only offered to patients who have lost a lot of their thumb, usually down to close to the knuckle. Not having any of the thumb can be very disabling, especially for those who do a manual job.

“This type of injury could mean that these patients are not able to remain at work, so we’re delighted to be able to provide this treatment option.

“David has worked really hard to recover after his injury and has done amazingly well. He’s the first master cobbler I’ve ever met, so it’s really nice to hear that he’s back doing what he loves to do.”

Mr Lee is back to working in his shop and said the toe on his hand is a part of him. He told the BBC: "Maybe people do notice it, [but] no-one has ever said anything to me.

"But now I've got to the stage where, you know what? It's a part of me and I just don't care."