Surgeon of century saves ‘unrecoverable’ leg

Prof. Dr. Afksendiyos Kalangos, whose name is among the "heart surgeons of the century," managed to save Merve's leg, which has been said to be "unrecoverable."

Merve Ay, 23, who lives in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, struggled for 12 years with a vascular tumor that was detected in the heel of her left foot when she was only 8 years old.

Merve, who could no longer walk because of the tumor, was told by every doctor she visited that her leg would have to be amputated.

Merve's leg was saved by Dr. Kalangos, a renowned Turkish-born ethnic Greek heart surgeon.

The Germany-based Help World Foundation and the Kalangos Foundation headquartered in Geneva mobilized for her, and the necessary money was raised.

Two years ago, Kalangos, as well as orthopedic and plastic surgery teams, participated in the surgery that put Merve on her feet at Koç University Faculty of Medicine Hospital.

Kalangos said that even he was surprised by Merve's condition and said, "This is the first time I have seen this disease in this position in my 36-year surgeon career, and I am one of the surgeons who performs on these tumors in this field the most in the world. Now, seeing her walking in front of me after two years is the biggest gift for me."

"It is very rare for this tumor to be in located in the foot, it is almost non-existent. It was in a position where it was constantly pressing on that vascular formation; there was a danger of bursting because it was constantly under pressure," he said.

For the first time in two years after her surgery, Ay came together with her doctors, who are now her colleagues, and thanked them for fulfilling her dream of wearing high heels at her graduation.