Asst. Prof. MD. Aysu Sinem Koc

My 8-year-old daughter, a competitive synchronized swimmer, began experiencing unexplained breathlessness during routines. Other doctors dismissed it as anxiety. Dr. Koc discovered exercise-induced bronchoconstriction triggered specifically by chloramine exposure in pool air. She designed a personalized pre-swim inhaler regimen and collaborated with her coach to modify training ventilation. My daughter now competes nationally without limitation.

During Istanbul's unprecedented air quality crisis last winter, I developed what seemed like severe pneumonia. As a 45-year-old ceramic artist working with mineral glazes, Dr. Koc connected my condition to combined environmental and occupational exposure. She diagnosed hypersensitivity pneumonitis from mold spores in my studio interacting with pollution. Her treatment plan included medical intervention and redesigning my workspace ventilation, saving both my health and livelihood.

My husband, a 58-year-old archivist, developed a persistent cough while cataloging century-old documents. Multiple doctors treated for infections unsuccessfully. Dr. Koc suspected histoplasmosis from fungal spores in ancient papers, extremely rare in Turkey. She confirmed it through specialized testing and her targeted antifungal treatment resolved symptoms that had plagued him for 18 months. Her detective work was extraordinary.

As a 31-year-old software developer with cystic fibrosis, I'd resigned myself to frequent hospitalizations. Dr. Koc implemented a revolutionary remote monitoring system using spirometry sensors that sync to my phone, allowing real-time adjustment of my airway clearance therapy. This proactive approach reduced my hospital stays by 80% in one year and let me maintain full-time employment.

As a 72-year-old retired deep-sea diver with a rare case of pulmonary barotrauma from my decades of work, I had seen many specialists who couldn't connect my symptoms to my profession. Dr. Koc spent hours researching historical diving medicine and identified calcified pleural plaques from repeated decompression. Her hybrid treatment combining modern bronchodilators with specialized breathing exercises adapted from commercial diving protocols gave me my first symptom-free year in a decade.