Uğur Acar, the first face transplant patient in Türkiye, and Turan Çolak, the fourth, have been leading new lives for 10 years with their new faces.
Speaking with Anadolu Agency, both men expressed how their new faces had changed their lives.
Acar explained that nearly 90% of his face was burnt in a fire that broke out in his house when he was only 40 days old. He was unable to go out in the streets because of his face but after the transplant, he not only found a job but also started to take on an active role in organ donation campaigns and tried to help patients waiting for transplants to give them courage and motivation.
"For me, there are two lives: one that hurts you and the other brings you joy. It's as if you were born again," Acar said.
When he was in the Gebece Village of Manavgat for eight years, people used to call him names such as "burnt." He explained that he would feel heartbroken when families with children were visiting and their children were frightened of him. "I was very upset about this and wanted to have a face transplant," he said. "They call me by my name 'Uğur' instead of any other name now. It makes me incredibly happy when I see children are not afraid of me now. I like my face when I look in the mirror. Now I feel better and more positive toward life," he explained.
Çolak's face was completely burned as a result of falling into a fire when he was 3 1/2 years old in Izmir. Like Acar, he also stated that he had difficulty mingling with society before the transplant.
"I felt like a new person after the transplant. I got married and began a family. I'm overjoyed. My life is thriving right now," Çolak said.
Stating that he could not even eat in a restaurant because of the stares, Çolak said: "People are like, 'What happened to his face. Why is his face like that?' I've always heard people talk about me but now no one even notices me when I'm eating. They don't even realize that I have a face transplant."
Çolak said that he is fond of beards and mustaches and that he grew a beard and mustache after the transplant. "I didn't have eyes, eyebrows or ears. I couldn't wear sunglasses because I didn't have ears. Now I always wear glasses," Çolak explained.
Rector of Akdeniz University Hospital Dr. Özlenen Özkan and Dr. Ömer Özkan from the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery said the lives of Acar and Çolak, completely changed after their face transplants in 2012.
Emphasizing that face transplants are a wonderful operation, Dr. Ömer Özkan said, "We performed five face transplants in 11 years. One of the patients passed away due to cancer but saved the other four's lives by donating their organs."
"Our son's organs gave life to many people," expressed the family of the donor.
"Every morning when I look at my face, I thank him," Çolak said, referring to the donor.
Dr. Ömer Özkan stated that while performing the face transplants, they experienced the feeling that one person completely disappeared and another appeared.
Özkan added that they would continue face transplant surgeries if donors are found.
