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Kurdish bombing victim walks again after receiving new titanium legs in Sydney

A young Kurdish woman from Turkey is walking after receiving robotic surgery in Sydney from a pioneer in the field, Dr Munjed Al Muderis.

Lisa Calan
Lisa Calan recovers in hospital after being treated by Dr Munjed Al Muderis in Sydney with new surgical implants allowing her to walk on new titanium legs Source: Supplied - Lisa Calan

When a twin ISIS bomb blasted next to Lisa Calan, at a political election rally in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, Turkey on 5th June 2015 her life changed forever.

The blast killed fived people and injured more than 400.

Lisa lost her both legs there.

"My legs weren't there when I was taken to hospital," she told SBS Turkish when she was in Melbourne in December.

Lisa Calan
Lisa recovers from surgery in Australia Source: Supplied - Lisa Calan

The ambulance that transported her to the hospital had no emergency equipment.

"It was an empty ambulance," she said. "People used their belts to stop the bleeding."

"I was told at the hospital that I had lost eight litres of blood."

Her legs are now buried next to her father's grave.

"So I guess I can say I am already partly in the grave," the 29-year-old film professional told Voice of America.

Lisa Calan
Courtesy of Evrensel Source: Courtesy of Evrensel

She is actually also the second member of her family to lose their legs. After a severe frost, her brother lost his legs too.

"My mum cries for her two children with no legs now," she says. 

Calan, who is a film director and scriptwriter, has been in constant treatment since the blast.

She had nine operations in Turkey and Germany with no success.

"After every operation, my legs got shorter," she told SBS Turkish.

"It was my last chance to walk again" Calan said.

She had her last operation at Macquarie University in Sydney and now, she walks again, with her brand new robotic legs.

Her surgeon, Iraqi-born Munjed Al Muderis performed her operation. Dr Muderis operated on her legs for seven hours and attached new titanium prosthetic legs.

Munjed Al Muderis
Professor Munjed Al Muderis Source: SBS

Dr Muderis has own remarkable story. Munjed Al Muderis fled Iraq at the age of 27, as a young doctor who refused the orders of Saddam Hussein to mutilate army deserters' ears.

He came to Australia by boat in 1990 and spent 10 months at the Curtin Detention Centre. Now he is one of the most successful orthopaedic surgeons at the forefront of Australian orthopaedics, as well as a human rights activist. His story  has been featured by many news outlets and in 2015 he shared his story in a Tedx talk. 

He regularly returns to Iraq to help victims of terrorist attacks, and was featured in a special episode of ABC's Foreign Correspondent in December as he worked in Iraq to help get war veterans back up and walking again. 

Dr Muderis is now one of three surgeons worldwide pioneering a revolutionary technology known as Osseointegration - a cutting edge technique where surgical implants are directly integrated into bone.

Lisa Calan receives surgical implants
Dr Muderis has pioneered Osseointegration - a cutting edge technique where surgical implants are directly integrated into bone. Source: Lisa Calan

Speaking about Lisa's case, Dr Muderis said "I saw a video of her dancing the other day."

"That bring happiness to me," he told ABC Radio in early January.

Lisa Calan
Lisa Calan proudly walks again on her new titanium legs Source: Supplied - Lisa Calan

Lisa is cheerful now. 

"I used to tell my friends that they have legs and can't go anywhere and I go all over the world with no legs" she said, adding: "of course it was to get treatment though." 

Lisa Calan returned to Turkey with her new legs in her baggage. 

As the wounds from her operation heal she will be able to attach her new legs more regularly.

"Soon I will wear my legs all day and walk everywhere," she said.

Listen to Lisa's full interview (in Turkish) with SBS Turkish in the audio player, top.


3 min read

Published

Updated

By Ismail Kayhan




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