Survivor with amputated legs has not given up diving

ANKARA

Despite losing both his legs in the Kahramanmaraş quakes, an 18-year-old survivor has not given up scuba diving and still goes under the water whenever he gets the chance to help him get over the trauma he has gone through.

Abdurrahman Aydın was caught in the Feb. 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş in the house where he lived with his mother Betül Günyaşar in the southern province of Hatay.

The mother-son duo were trapped in the rubble and they were rescued after 15 hours. While Aydın had to have his legs amputated, his mother could not be saved despite all interventions. Aydın now lives in the capital Ankara with his father and his sister who survived the earthquakes. His cat called “Gece,” was also found 115 days after the disaster and delivered back to him.

Despite losing his legs, Aydın did not give up scuba diving and swimming, which he started at the age of 15. After being discharged from the hospital, he went back to Hatay twice and dived in the bay in Samandağ where he always used to go.

“I had many goals before the quakes, and I will never give up on those goals. I am still striving. Nothing is an obstacle. I have dived even right after the earthquakes. I still have my diving training, my instincts, and I am satisfied with myself now. I can dive up to 15 meters with a tube. Being underwater gives me a unique feeling like I am in the center of the planet. I have never given up my dreams and hopes, and I never will. I want to get to a good university, study at a good school, and become a good electrical and electronics engineer. I want to be a useful engineer for my country,” Aydın said.

Stating that he was fitted with a prosthesis in the hospital; Aydın pointed out that he cannot do some things such as climbing stairs and going up and down slopes with the prosthesis, as it only allows him to walk on a flat road.

“I want to regain my freedom. I am only 18 years old, there are so many things I can accomplish. I have dreams and goals. I want a more high-quality prosthesis,” he added.