Arm transplant patient holds hands with wife

ANTALYA - Doğan News Agency

Turkey’s first triple limb transplant patient, Atilla Kavdır, (R) earlier said he wanted to hold his wife’s and children’s hands and drive a motorbike. DHA photo

Turkey’s first triple limb transplant patient Atilla Kavdır held hands with his wife Ayşe Kavdır for the first time yesterday, after undergoing the landmark surgery on Jan. 21 at Akdeniz University, in the Mediterranean province of Antalya.

“We had always dreamed of this day. Hopefully, I will also see the day when my husband wears an engagement ring on his fingers and puts on a watch on his wrist,” said Ayşe Kavdır, who has been married to Atilla Kavdır for 17 years.

Atilla Kavdır, 34, received two arms and a leg in the operation, although his body rejected the leg a day after the surgery. Kavdır experienced multiple organ failure and life-threatening blood clots in the first 72 hours after the surgery, but was reported to be in “good and stable” condition when he was discharged from intensive care Feb. 16.

“I have been living without arms for 23 years; I want to hold my wife’s and children’s hands and drive a motorbike or a car perhaps,” Kavdır had said at an earlier press meeting.

“I was deeply moved the moment I saw my children and my relatives waiting for me in front of my house. Everyone is jubilant that I have returned back home. We are living this joy [together] as a family,” Kavdır said.