A boy's arduous steps on his prosthetic legs after the Türkiye earthquake

Prosthetist Paul Gandarabo looks after Mohamed Kok, 13, on a treatment bed while being seen at the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital for a prosthetic fitting, while his father, Hassan Kok, 58, and a translator, looks on in London, October 9, 2023. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]

LONDON – When a devastating earthquake struck Turkey in the early hours of February 6, 2023, the five-story building in Hatay where 13-year-old Mehmet Kok was living collapsed, burying him under rubble and killing his older brother Emre, 14, and his mother. . His mother Didem.

Muhammad survived. But it took 76 hours before rescuers were able to extract him from the pile of concrete and twisted metal that remained in his home. Later at the hospital, doctors determined that his legs were so badly shattered and injured that they would have to be amputated just below the hip.

Upon hearing of the earthquake in London where he lived and worked, Mohamed's father, Hassan, boarded the next available flight to Turkey and traveled to Hatay, in the south-east, desperate for news of his family.

The 58-year-old faced a scene of total devastation in the city and learned that his wife and eldest son had not survived, but Mohammed was alive and trapped. He stood vigil beside the ruins with other relatives.

Hassan was unable to speak to his son himself, but sent messages to his teenage neighbour, Khairuddin, trapped near the roof, whose words could reach Mohammed, who spoke to him to keep him awake as rescuers approached.

Speaking in hospital in Turkey last February, Mohammed said: “I was screaming ‘help’. Our neighbor Khairuddin was telling me when to scream, and I was screaming for help when he asked me to.”

“I didn't feel or think anything when I was rescued, I was confused. I wanted water when they rescued me. My family was waiting for me outside and I saw them right after I was pulled from under the rubble.

Doctors in Turkey said that if he had reached them just one hour later, he would have died.

Hasan Kok, 58, shows a photo of his son Mehmet (left), 12, who is in a Mersin hospital after having his legs amputated after they were trapped under the rubble of a devastating earthquake, and his son Emre (right), 14, who died with their mother, Hasan’s wife, in the earthquake. Which took place in the lobby of Mersin Hospital in Mersin, February 17, 2023. [Reuters]

Mohammed spent two months in hospital in Turkey before recovering enough to travel to Britain. Hassan, who first came to Britain in the 1990s and, like Mohammed, holds British citizenship, found his son's British passport torn up among the rubble.

A year later, father and son live together in Hassan's small flat in Hackney, east London, both grieving for their loved ones and gradually coming to terms with the tragedy.

“We are trying to get used to life,” Hassan said.

“Mohammed started school and is doing better. He supports me now, telling me: ‘Dad, we can’t bring them back or change what happened. Let’s forget it all and move on.’”

Taking care of his son, managing his many medical appointments and applying for support and social services is a huge task. Friends within the local Turkish community help where they can, but Hassan gave up his job as a school supervisor to care for him.

“I'm very sad but I try not to show it when I'm around him. He's very brave and supports me a lot,” he said.

London life

Mohammed is receiving treatment at the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital, which is an hour's drive across London from his home.

He received prosthetic legs and is training in the hospital to take steps and do exercises to build his strength. However, the legs have a hard time getting used to, they take time to fit properly, and as they grow they will need to be adjusted frequently. He may also face more surgeries.

Doctors estimate that walking on a flat surface using bilateral above-the-knee prosthetics requires 300% more energy than normal walking, and is particularly difficult for children.

Hasan Kok, 58, holds a Galatasaray football shirt with his son Mehmet's name on it, as his friend Ali Sinar, 63, looks on in London, October 9, 2023. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]

Muhammad enjoys playing computer games, keeping in touch with Turkish school friends, and talking to his relatives in Turkey, including his grandmother. He has always loved football. He says his favorite English team is Manchester City, and Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is a special hero.

He now started at a school in London, after a teacher visited him at home, arranged by the local council.

Simon Joseph, a medical needs teacher at Hackney Council, said: “It has been great to teach Mohamed and get to know him better.”

“Over the weeks, his warm and friendly nature has come through more and more. He has a great sense of humour, especially when it comes to trying out new words in the English language.

Turkey's deadliest earthquake in modern times killed more than 50,000 people and left hundreds of thousands with life-changing injuries. In Syria, about 5,900 people were killed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild homes and cities, but the World Health Organization has warned that the psychological pressure faced by those trapped in the disaster is enormous.

[Reuters]

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