Dr. Ayla Haytan Önal

Our 3-year-old daughter Elif developed a sudden, terrifying high fever that wouldn't break, accompanied by a strange rash that appeared overnight. We rushed to Acıbadem Kadıköy in a panic at 2 AM. Dr. Ayla Haytan Önal was on call and met us with remarkable calmness. Instead of immediately ordering invasive tests, she spent 20 minutes observing Elif's behavior while asking us detailed questions about the preceding days—what she ate, playground visits, even the fabric of her new pajamas. She diagnosed roseola through clinical observation alone, explaining the viral progression with hand-drawn diagrams. Her prediction that the fever would break within hours proved exactly correct. She didn't just treat a disease; she treated our family's fear.

As the 72-year-old grandfather of my 8-month-old grandson Kerem, I accompanied my daughter for his routine vaccination visit. Dr. Önal noticed my persistent cough during the consultation and gently inquired about it. When I dismissed it as 'old age,' she respectfully asked permission to check my oxygen saturation with the pediatric pulse oximeter. Finding it at 88%, she immediately coordinated with the adult emergency department while keeping Kerem's vaccination on track. She personally wheeled me downstairs, bridging the gap between pediatric and geriatric care seamlessly. This pediatrician diagnosed my early-stage pneumonia before my own doctor did. Her holistic awareness saved me from hospitalization.

My 14-year-old son Deniz, a competitive swimmer, developed mysterious recurrent abdominal pain that five specialists couldn't explain, dismissing it as 'growth pains' or 'anxiety.' Dr. Önal approached it like a medical detective. She requested videos of his swimming technique, analyzed his training diet timeline, and discovered the pain consistently followed butterfly stroke sessions. She collaborated with a sports physician to identify diaphragmatic cramping due to improper breathing technique—a pediatrician solving a sports medicine puzzle. Her three-month follow-up plan included breathing exercises she demonstrated herself. Deniz is now pain-free and broke his personal record last month. She treats children as whole athletes, not just symptoms.

Our newborn twins arrived prematurely at 34 weeks, and the neonatal ICU journey left us traumatized. At our first outpatient visit, Dr. Önal didn't just measure weight and height. She dimmed the lights, spoke in whispers recognizing their sensory sensitivity, and examined them simultaneously with her assistant to minimize separation stress. She created a 'twin-specific' growth chart comparing their individual progress rather than standard percentiles. When she noticed subtle asymmetry in one twin's hip movement, she used ultrasound gel to demonstrate the difference to us visually. Her six-month neurodevelopmental follow-up included play-based assessments she designed herself. She doesn't see premature babies as 'catch-up projects' but as unique individuals with their own timelines.