“They were just testing the operation table for the surgery; I’m not quite there yet,” says Guðmundur Felix Grétarsson, an Icelandic man currently waiting for a double arm transplant in France.
A screenshot from the story on visir.is.
Yesterday, Guðmundur visited the hospital’s surgical division to try out a custom made operation table for the procedure, which he says probably won’t take place until after the New Year.
“This is a huge undertaking; people are busy preparing the surgery. Next week I’ll meet with the rehabilitation team which will help me recover after the surgery,” Guðmundur told vísir.is.
Yesterday’s testing was carried out to check whether each physician had enough space to maneuver, as the procedure will be very long and involve a large number of people. Pillows will be placed under Guðmundur during the surgery and they must be able to move him around.
Guðmundur lost both his arms at the shoulder and suffered life threatening injury when, on January 12, 1998 he was struck by an 11,000 volt current and fell eight meters down to the frozen ground below.
As he awaits the surgery, Guðmundur has been living in France with his mother. Yesterday, his best friend Helgi Guðbrandsson accompanied him to the hospital.
“My mom needs a bit of a break,” Guðmundur said, adding with expectancy in his voice: “I’m getting really excited.”
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