M.D. Salahattin Okur

We brought our 3-year-old son, Ali, to Dr. Okur after weeks of unexplained high fevers that would spike at night. Other doctors dismissed it as 'just a virus,' but Dr. Okur spent nearly an hour just observing him play in his office. He noticed a subtle, fleeting rash Ali's grandmother had mentioned but we'd missed. His calm, detective-like approach led to a Kawasaki disease diagnosis. The coordinated care at Adana Hospital Acibadem was seamless. He explained the treatment plan to our terrified family with drawings a child could understand. Two months later, Ali's heart scan was clear. Dr. Okur didn't just treat a disease; he saved a future.

My 78-year-old mother, who lives with us, developed severe pneumonia. As her pediatrician, Dr. Salahattin Okur was our first call, even though she's elderly. He came to the hospital immediately, arguing that her lifelong cystic fibrosis made her his patient, regardless of age. He coordinated with the adult ICU team, translating a lifetime of complex pediatric pulmonary care into terms they could use. He visited her twice daily, often after his regular clinic hours, adjusting treatments based on nuances only he knew from managing her since she was a teenager. His dedication blurred administrative lines of 'specialty' and focused purely on the person. She recovered against steep odds. This is what lifelong, compassionate care looks like.

Our 10-day-old daughter, Zeynep, stopped feeding and became listless. In panic, we rushed to Adana Hospital Acibadem's ER late on a Sunday. Dr. Okur was there within 20 minutes, still in casual clothes, having been called from home. He diagnosed a serious congenital heart defect that had been missed. His voice was steady, but his eyes were urgent. He personally escorted us to the neonatal ICU, explained the emergency surgery to us in three different ways until we understood, and held my hand while I signed the consent forms. He didn't leave the hospital for 36 hours, updating us hourly. The surgery was a success. He met us not just as a doctor, but as a fellow human in a storm.

For our 8-year-old daughter's routine asthma checkup, Dr. Okur did something remarkable. He asked her about her soccer goals instead of her symptoms first. He then had her demonstrate her inhaler technique on a teddy bear 'with asthma.' He spotted she was using it incorrectly—a detail missed in five previous visits elsewhere. He redesigned her entire management plan around her tournament schedule. He didn't just adjust medications; he gave her a 'game plan' and made her the captain of her own health. The follow-up wasn't a clinical interrogation; it was a strategy session. Her peak flow scores have improved, but more importantly, her anxiety about her condition has vanished. He treats the child, not the chart.