M.D. Tijen Diri

Our 72-year-old grandmother, who has been helping raise our twins, developed a persistent, barking cough that worried us more than the children's sniffles. We brought her along to our pediatric appointment, feeling a bit silly. Dr. Diri, without missing a beat, examined her with the same gentle thoroughness. She listened intently, then explained it was likely postnasal drip irritation exacerbated by reflux, a common issue she sees in elderly caregivers around young children. She recommended a simple dietary tweak and saline rinses. Her holistic view of the family unit, not just the charted patient, was profoundly comforting. The cough cleared in a week.

It was 11 PM when our 6-week-old son, Leo, started having brief episodes where he'd stop breathing for a few seconds, his lips bluish. Pure terror. The ER at Acibadem Atakent was a blur until Dr. Diri arrived. She had a preemie's calm intensity. She diagnosed it quickly as benign neonatal sleep apnea but admitted him for monitoring, saying, 'We don't take chances with pauses.' She sat with us for an hour, drawing diagrams of the immature respiratory system. Her protocol involved a tiny pulse ox monitor and scheduled feedings. No complex surgery, but the complexity was in her vigilance. We left after 48 hours, exhausted but armed with knowledge and confidence.

Our 8-year-old daughter, Elif, is a competitive gymnast with a high pain tolerance. During a routine checkup, Dr. Diri noticed a slight asymmetry in her shoulder blades during a 'reach for the sky' game. Elif had mentioned no pain. Dr. Diri, suspecting a rare, stress-induced growth plate issue called a 'ring apophyseal injury,' ordered very specific X-rays. She was right. It was early-stage. The treatment? A complete, 3-month break from gymnastics, a devastating prescription for Elif. Dr. Diri handled it masterfully, framing it as 'training her patience muscle' and becoming her 'recovery coach.' She scheduled bi-weekly follow-ups just for morale. The injury healed perfectly. This was preventive medicine at its most insightful.

My 15-year-old son, withdrawn and complaining of constant headaches, was failing school. We'd seen neurologists; scans were clear. At our wits' end, we saw Dr. Diri for what I thought was a last-ditch 'teen checkup.' She spent the first 20 minutes talking to him alone about video games and school stress. She then did a full exam, focusing on his eyes and neck. She diagnosed 'text neck' and digital eye strain, exacerbated by anxiety. Her prescription was unconventional: a strict phone curfew, blue-light glasses, and a referral to a sports physio for postural training—not a psychologist. She said, 'Let's fix the body's complaints first; the mind often follows.' She was right. The headaches faded, and his mood lifted. She treated the child in front of her, not the chart.