Prof. M.D. Vildan Ertekin

As an 82-year-old with chronic diverticulitis that three other specialists called 'unmanageable,' I arrived at Acibadem Atakent feeling hopeless. Dr. Vildan Ertekin didn't just review my file—she listened to my story for forty minutes, tracing symptoms back to my youth in rural Anatolia. Her approach wasn't about aggressive intervention but intelligent management. She designed a personalized dietary protocol combining modern gastroenterology with traditional Turkish foods my body recognized. For the first time in a decade, I've had six consecutive months without hospitalization. She treats the whole person, not just the colon.

Our 7-year-old daughter developed sudden, severe abdominal pain at midnight. The emergency team at Acibadem Atakent called Dr. Ertekin immediately, and she arrived within twenty minutes—still in casual clothes, clearly roused from sleep. What could have been a terrifying ER visit became remarkably calm. She knelt to eye-level with our daughter, explaining each step with a stuffed animal as a model. Diagnosing intussusception, she coordinated the pediatric radiology team for a non-surgical reduction. Her ability to pivot from comforting a child to directing complex emergency care was breathtaking. We're forever grateful.

I'm a 45-year-old chef who ignored worsening heartburn for years, blaming spicy foods. During a routine executive health checkup, Dr. Ertekin noticed subtle patterns others missed. Her endoscopic biopsy revealed Barrett's esophagus with early dysplastic changes. Instead of alarm, she presented a phased strategy: precise ablation therapy followed by a culinary rehabilitation plan. She collaborated with Acibadem's nutritionists to redesign my recipes without sacrificing flavor. Two years later, follow-up surveillance shows complete reversal. She turned a potential cancer diagnosis into a culinary second chance.

After a complex Whipple procedure for pancreatic complications left me with debilitating digestive fistulas, I was referred to Dr. Ertekin as a 'last resort' case. Her post-surgical follow-up approach was unlike anything I'd experienced. She created a digital monitoring system where I uploaded daily outputs and symptoms, with her team providing real-time adjustments. When conservative management plateaued, she performed a daring endoscopic fistula closure using a novel stent-graft technique she'd pioneered. For eighteen months, she never once treated me as a failed case, but as a puzzle requiring creative solutions. Today, I eat normally again—a miracle she engineered.