A leukaemia sufferer who had 85 positive COVID-19 tests has finally hugged his grandchildren after spending 14 months in quarantine.
Muzaffer Kayasan, 56 – from Sariyer, in the Turkish province of Istanbul – first tested positive for the virus in December 2020.
He explained earlier this year: “I had a successful bone marrow transplant at an excellent hospital three years ago.
“Later, I was infected with COVID-19. I have been living with the disease since 2020. My test results are constantly positive.
“When I ask doctors, they say that my immune system is low because I have leukaemia.
“They have been keeping me alive for 14 months with the drugs they’re giving me. It is very difficult. I have been in quarantine for 14 months.”
He added: “My wife stayed with me in quarantine for 10 days, but her tests came back negative twice.
“Later, my son stayed with me, and he was negative as well. I don’t infect anyone, the problem is just with me.
“Doctors say the virus is still in my body, but I do not have any symptoms.”
Muzaffer said the treatment was a challenging process when he first caught the disease, and that he stayed in hospital for the first nine months.
He added: “At the end of nine months, they gave me a 10-day leave and I went home. Then I got worse.
“I was hospitalised again with shortness of breath and other symptoms.
“They told me I still had the disease. I started getting tested again and again. I was in hospital for six more months.”
Stating that he could only see his grandchildren behind a glass door, he said: “My only problem is not being able to touch my loved ones.
“It’s a complicated thing to explain. I can’t hug my family, I can’t see anyone. My social life is over.”
However, after now testing negative for the coronavirus on his 86th attempt, Muzaffer has been allowed to leave quarantine and see his family after an incredible 16-month period.
Muzaffer spent a total of 470 days in hospital and at home in self-isolation.
Local media said the father-of-three probably holds the record for the longest period of COVID-19 infection in Turkey.
After finally hugging his four-month-old grandson and one-year-old granddaughter, following months of only seeing them through a window, Muzaffer said: “Everyone should pay attention to masks, distances and hygiene. Let’s defeat the coronavirus together.”
