Veteran becomes first with bionic hand in country

ANKARA

A veteran has become the first person in the country to be attached with an advanced bionic hand capable of conveying sensations, regaining the ability of gripping objects after 17 years.

Gendarmerie Specialized Sergeant Yılmaz Yiğit lost his two arms, along with one leg and one eye, as a result of bomb explosion during a PKK operation in the southeastern province of Şırnak in 2007.

Having undergone numerous operations following the incident, a prosthetic leg and arm was attached to Yiğit at a hospital in Ankara, where he later started working.

Getting married three years after the incident and having two kids, Yiğit expressed his feelings on this challenging process in his remarks to the local media.

“It was not easy to hold on to life. However, I managed to do that thanks to my wife’s support. I realized that it was possible to be loved even in this condition,” he said.

Using the bionic hand that was produced overseas for one month now, Yiğit underlined that he became the first person to have this advanced bionic hand in the country.

“It has been approximately a month since I started using it, and I'm becoming better at it. I don't require maintenance when I wear my bionic hand prosthetics. I am able to participate in life, consume my own meals, make my own tea and coffee,” the veteran pointed out. “Even though I can't feel my children's hands, I can still hold them. For instance, I was finding it difficult to use the phone's touchscreen. However, that is no longer the case, and I am delighted about it. You feel a stronger connection to life this way.”

Sevgin Yosmaoğlu, who works at the same hospital as a physiotherapist, providing information on the structure of the bionic hand, said, “It transports the signals from the muscles to the terminal appendage, referred to as the hand. It is feasible to perform tasks that call for more dexterity with these bionic hands, such as writing, holding a pen, using a phone and eating."