A man who has tested positive for COVID-19 for the last 14 months is petitioning authorities to let him hug his grandkids, reports say

• A Turkish man has tested positive for COVID-19 on 78 separate occasions, per reports.
• Muzzafer Kayasan, who has leukemia, has been in isolation since December 2020.

A Turkish man has tested positive for COVID-19 for 14 months straight, according to health authorities.

Muzzafer Kayasan, 56, was first diagnosed with coronavirus on December 19, 2020, per the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu Agency. Since then, the Daily Sabah reported that he has tested positive 78 times.

Due to Turkish public health measures, The National said that he has been stuck in isolation for over a year.

Kayasan, who has leukemia, has spent nine months in hospital and five months confined to his home in Istanbul, per the Turkish news agency İhlas.

His unique COVID-19 status means that he can only see his grandchildren through a window and on FaceTime, according to The National. Kayasan told İhlas that his greatest wish is to see his family in person.

"I have no problem here other than being unable to touch my loved ones. It is very hard," he said.

Kayasan is now petitioning Turkish authorities to find a solution to his unique situation, the Daily Sabah said, in the hope that he might be exempted from Turkey's COVID-19 rules.

Self-isolation in Turkey is terminated after a week for coronavirus patients, but only if they test negative. Until then, Kayasan will have to remain indoors.

The National reported that Kayasan doctors said that he has struggled to recover from COVID-19 because he is immunocompromised due to his leukemia.

He said that he is still alive thanks to drugs that help boost his immune system, the media outlet said.

"I can't even get vaccinated because of my condition," Kayasan told İhlas.

People with COVID-19 must wait until they have recovered from their illness to receive a shot.

Kayasan was unavaiable for comment.