After an accident that left him without both arms, Karl Merk feels like “a whole man again,” thanks to a double arm transplant, the world’s first ever, performed at the Munich University Clinic on July 25 to 26.

The 54-old man lost his arms in a tragic farming accident six years ago. Very disappointed after two attempts to attacks prostheses failed, he heard about a clinical trial of double arm transplant. He decided to take part in it although he had never believed he would actually use his hands the way he did before the accident.

But the surgery proved to be a real success. More than 40 surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists were involved in saving Merk’s arms. The surgery was performed at the Munich University Clinic and lasted no less than 15 hours. The arms came from a teenager who had died in a car accident only hours before the surgery.

Merk’s recovery after the surgery was incredibly rapid. He can now perform simple tasks such as opening doors or turning lights on and off. He’s very optimistic about his arms, as he hopes one day he will be able to eat and dress himself again. “It was really overwhelming when I saw that I had arms again. These are my arms and I’m not giving them away again,” he told journalists at a news conference held in Munich.

Cristoph Hoehnke, the head of the team who performed the transplant, believes Merk will do excellent with his new arms. “All in all, our wildest expectations have pretty much been fulfilled.”