Kalangos Foundation

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.