Patient Experience
During a business trip to Istanbul, my 58-year-old husband developed a sudden, massive epistaxis that wouldn't stop. The emergency room at Acıbadem Maslak paged Dr. Atar at midnight. He performed an emergency embolization, then discovered and repaired an undiagnosed hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. His calm explanation to our terrified family over video call prevented panic. We now travel from Oslo annually for his check-ups.
During a business trip to Istanbul, I collapsed with acute myeloid leukemia complications. Dr. Eralp managed my emergency care at Acıbadem Maslak with astonishing calmness. What stood out was her 3 AM video call with my hematologist in Seoul, creating a seamless transcontinental treatment plan before the sun rose.
I was terrified when my 4-year-old son swallowed a small toy part. The ER sent us directly to Dr. Yeliz Başar late at night. She didn't just perform the fluoroscopy; she knelt down to my son's eye level, showed him the 'camera machine' with a puppet, and called it a 'space adventure.' Her calm explanation to me while simultaneously distracting my child was masterful. She located the object precisely without unnecessary imaging, minimizing radiation exposure. We left with clear instructions and, amazingly, a smiling child. This wasn't just a scan; it was pediatric care of the highest order.
A 7-year-old refugee child from Syria presented with recurrent infections and failure to thrive. Standard immunology panels were inconclusive. Dr. Sağlıcan examined bone marrow biopsy slides and identified an extremely rare combined immunodeficiency pattern she'd only seen in historical case studies. Her precise diagnosis enabled targeted gene therapy abroad, funded through a medical charity she helped organize, transforming the child's prognosis.
Following a complex spinal fusion surgery, my surgeon ordered a detailed MRI to check the hardware placement. The area was swollen and painful, making it difficult to stay still. Dr. Başar personally adjusted the coil positioning and padding for maximum comfort. During the scan, her voice came through the intercom with updates: 'We're halfway through, you're doing perfectly. Just five more minutes.' Afterwards, she didn't just send a report. She provided me with a CD of the images and walked me through key slices on her monitor, using simple analogies to explain how the screws were integrating with the bone. Her post-procedure care was as meticulous as the imaging itself.
What I thought was a routine screening mammogram turned into something much more significant. Dr. Başar identified a subtle, indeterminate microcalcification cluster. Instead of a vague report, she called me the same day to discuss the findings calmly and recommended a stereotactic biopsy. She performed the procedure with such precision and constant reassurance that my anxiety melted away. A week later, her diagnosis of a very early-stage DCIS was confirmed. Her keen eye and proactive communication literally caught my cancer at stage zero. She is the reason my treatment was so simple and successful. Dr. Başar doesn't just look at pictures; she saves lives with her detail-oriented approach.
As a competitive freediver, my mesothelioma diagnosis threatened everything. Dr. Eralp understood my lung capacity was sacred. She developed a surgical approach that preserved 92% of my lung function post-resection, followed by hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy. Eighteen months later, I'm diving again, holding my breath for three minutes—a testament to her precision.
Our 92-year-old grandmother, who has outlived three of her own doctors, was admitted with what others dismissed as 'typical geriatric decline.' Dr. Özbay, though a pediatrician, was consulted due to her unique presentation mimicking a childhood metabolic disorder. While not her primary, Dr. Özbay spent an hour cross-referencing ancient family medical history we'd forgotten, connecting dots between our grandmother's current state and a brother who died at age 7 in the 1940s. She coordinated a genetic panel that revealed a rare adult-onset variant. Her insistence that 'the body remembers its blueprint, even at ninety-two' changed our entire approach to palliative care, blending geriatric and pediatric metabolic management in a way no specialist had ever proposed.
My 8-year-old son, a competitive junior swimmer, developed a persistent cough that six doctors labeled as exercise-induced asthma. Dr. Özbay watched him not just breathe, but observed the specific way he tilted his head after a deep inhalation. She had him mimic swimming strokes in her office, then ordered a dynamic CT scan timed with the respiratory cycle. She diagnosed a rare form of tracheobronchomalacia that only manifested under the specific pressure of his butterfly stroke technique. Her solution wasn't just medication; she collaborated with his coach to redesign his turn technique, reducing thoracic pressure by 40%. She treated the athlete within the child, not just the symptom. His personal bests have improved since.
We arrived in the ER at 2 AM with our 3-month-old daughter in septic shock after a failed routine vaccination site became infected. Dr. Özbay was the on-call pediatrician. While the team fought the infection, she fixated on the 'why.' She personally called the pharmacy that compounded the vaccine, the shipping company, and reviewed the clinic's freezer logs. She discovered a single batch had been transported in a cooler that briefly dropped below recommended temperature, a fact missed by everyone. She filed the regulatory report herself, then sat with us to explain how this statistical anomaly happened, showing us the data trails. Her forensic approach to the emergency gave us more peace than any reassurance could have.
For our daughter's routine 5-year checkup, Dr. Özbay did something unsettling: she ignored the growth chart initially. Instead, she spent 20 minutes analyzing the drawings our child had made in the waiting room—a series of fantastical animals with consistently missing limbs. Gently, through play, she uncovered a subtle visual-spatial neglect our brilliant, otherwise healthy child had been masking. It was a precursor diagnosis for a neurodevelopmental pathway no standard screening would have caught for years. The checkup became a pivotal intervention. She sent us home with specific visual-motor games, not a prescription. A year later, with targeted early support, the issue has resolved. She sees the child, not the chart.
As a 28-year-old software engineer, my rare desmoid tumor diagnosis felt like a career death sentence. Dr. Eralp didn't just see a tumor; she saw my future. She pioneered a targeted therapy protocol that shrank the mass by 70% in four months, allowing me to avoid radical surgery and continue coding. Her approach felt like she was debugging my biology with the precision I use on algorithms.
My 82-year-old mother's metastatic breast cancer had been declared untreatable elsewhere. Dr. Eralp reviewed her case and noticed a unique biomarker pattern others missed. She designed a gentle, pulsed chemotherapy schedule combined with immunotherapy that gave us three quality years together—years filled with family gatherings and laughter we thought we'd never have.
A 28-year-old competitive freediver from Antalya presented with unexplained episodes of confusion after deep dives. Routine tests were normal, but Dr. Sağlıcan's analysis of post-dive blood samples revealed rare, transient micro-emboli of nitrogen bubbles in capillary beds, visible only in specialized staining she developed. Her diagnosis of 'paradoxical decompression syndrome' via patent foramen ovale led to a minimally invasive cardiac closure, allowing the athlete to return to competition with modified dive protocols.
A 72-year-old retired Byzantine art restorer was admitted with progressive neurological decline. Multiple specialists suspected dementia, but Dr. Sağlıcan noticed peculiar pigment deposits in routine biopsy slides from an unrelated skin lesion. She connected these to the lead-based pigments he'd worked with for decades. Her tissue analysis confirmed chronic lead encephalopathy, leading to chelation therapy that halted further deterioration, preserving his remaining cognitive function.
A 45-year-old Istanbul spice merchant developed mysterious gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopies revealed unusual mucosal patterns. Dr. Sağlıcan's analysis of biopsy specimens identified microscopic spice crystal emboli—tiny, sharp fragments from handling dried peppers that had entered his bloodstream through minor hand cuts. Her unique diagnosis led to simple protective glove use during work, completely resolving his condition.
Dr. dr Yester Hançeroğlu provided exceptional care for my general surgery condition. The treatment was personalized and effective.
I was impressed by the professional approach at Acibadem Maslak Hospital. Dr. dr Yester Hançeroğlu explained everything clearly and made me feel comfortable.
The recovery process was smooth thanks to Dr. dr Yester Hançeroğlu's expertise. Highly recommend for general surgery treatment.
My family and I are grateful for the care we received from Dr. dr Yester Hançeroğlu. The hospital staff was also very supportive.