Man who received world’s first double arm transplant and can now ride a bike for the first time

A man who received the world’s first ever double arm transplant has been able to ride a bike again - two years after his surgery. Felix Gretarsson has shocked surgeons with his incredible progress as he is able to return to the gym, hug his children and even drive.

The 50-year-old had both his arms amputated in January 1998 after he was electrocuted working with power lines. After decades without his arms, he managed to convince a surgeon to perform what would be the world’s first double arms and shoulder transplant in a 15-hour surgery in January 2021.

Now, two years later, the public speaker has taken the next step and returned to cycling - an activity he much enjoyed before the accident. The father-of-two from Lyon, France, said: "Before my accident I frequently used a bicycle to go to and from work.

"I had a chair for my little girl and I really liked using them. I had my eye on riding a bike again for a long time, even when I was waiting for my transplant, but I didn’t know how it would go.

"Every six months I sit down with my occupational therapist and we come up with the five most important things I want to accomplish in the next six months. At the beginning it was things like personal hygiene and feeding myself, but then a year ago I started putting riding a bicycle on that list."

When Felix was a child growing up in Iceland, he would use a bike that used foot breaks, so naturally he started searching for a similar model for adults. He found and ordered a bike in February, and had his first ride in over 25 years on April 9.

Assisting with his return to the bike, he was given a device that helps people grip things more easily from US-based start-up Hominid X. Felix said: "I was a little insecure because I knew I needed a bike where I’m not leaning forward.

"The steering itself wasn’t the best form, but I was completely prepared for it not to go very well. I thought I would fall but I haven’t yet.

"I’m sure I will at some point but so far it’s been OK. As the bike started to move I thought ‘OK, I can do this.’ I’m not street ready yet but I have a feeling it’s going to be a good summer.

"It was a really good moment for me. The weather is so nice in France so it’ll be nice to ride my bike to and from hospital appointments."

But the granddad-of-five is not stopping there as he continues to push boundaries. Next year he wants to climb the highest mountain in Western Europe, Mont Blanc.

Before his accident, Felix was an electrician. And on January 12, 1998 was sent out on a job to fix a power line that carried enough electricity to power 500 homes. After confusion on how far along the line he needed to go in order to carry out his task, he grabbed the wrong wire and was electrocuted before falling 32 feet to the ground.

Felix ended up breaking his back in three places and fracturing his neck, and his arms were set on fire. When waking up from a medically induced coma three months later, he found out his arms had been amputated.

Nine years later, Felix saw an advert on television for a lecture by renowned surgeon Dr Jean-Michel Dubernard - most famous for performing the world’s first successful hand transplant in 1998 - at the University of Iceland. After tracking down the surgeon, who said a double arm and shoulder transplant was possible, he was told he would need to move to France for the appropriate preparations.

Four years later, surgeons accepted his application for the transplants, and Felix raised €200,000 in a nationwide fundraising campaign in his native Iceland to help pay for the operation.

In 2013, he moved away from Iceland to Lyon and, in 2017, the search began for a potential donor. Finally, on January 11, 2021, he got the call saying a suitable donor had been found.

Since the surgery, Felix’s life has completely changed. He said: "I’m doing great. My hands are still not very usable but I’m managing and everything’s strengthening up.

"It definitely hasn’t been easy. I’ve been going to the gym four times a week to reinforce my muscles - rehabilitation isn’t enough. My life has changed enormously since my surgery.

"Those personal things like getting dressed or undressed are so important to me now. In November, I was alone for a whole weekend for the first time.

"After 25 years of being completely dependent on other people this is a massive freedom."