M.D. Süreyya Fethi Paksoy

My 88-year-old mother, who has complex geriatric needs often overlooked in pediatrics, was visiting from out of town when she developed a severe respiratory infection. In desperation, I contacted Dr. Paksoy's clinic. Not only did he agree to see her, but he spent an hour meticulously reviewing her extensive medication list from her home geriatrician, identifying a dangerous interaction everyone else had missed. His cross-generational diagnostic approach was breathtaking. He coordinated with her specialist 500km away and designed a transitional care plan. His pediatric clinic became a sanctuary of holistic care for my elderly mother. This wasn't just medicine; it was intellectual compassion across medical silos.

Our 3-week-old newborn, Elif, stopped feeding and turned a worrying shade of gray. The ER was chaotic, but Dr. Paksoy, who was on call, entered like a calm storm. He diagnosed a rare congenital heart defect—coarctation of the aorta—within minutes, not with panic, but with terrifying, quiet certainty. He didn't just shout orders; he drew a simple diagram on a tissue for us, explaining the plumbing of our daughter's heart. He personally escorted us to the pediatric ICU, his hand on the incubator. The surgery was successful, and he visited every day, not as the surgeon, but as our guide. He remembers Elif's 'feisty spirit' and checks her scar not with a scanner, but with his fingers, feeling for the story it tells.

For our 7-year-old son, Leo, diagnosed with high-functioning autism, routine checkups are sensory nightmares. Dr. Paksoy transformed the entire experience. At our first visit, he didn't approach Leo. He sat on the floor and started assembling a perplexing mechanical puzzle from his desk drawer, speaking softly about the gears. Leo was drawn in. The 'checkup' happened while they solved the puzzle together—heartbeat listened to through a stuffed animal's ear, throat checked after a 'roar' for the puzzle lion. He prescribes not just vitamins, but specific playgrounds for social interaction and writes 'doctor's orders' for extra screen time when Leo needs downtime. He treats the child, not the chart.

Our 14-year-old daughter, Merve, was a champion swimmer until debilitating, unexplained abdominal pain sidelined her. After six months of specialists, tests, and whispers of 'it's psychological,' we saw Dr. Paksoy. He dismissed none of the previous work but started fresh. He conducted the exam in reverse, starting with a 40-minute conversation about school stress, team dynamics, and diet changes during training. He then hypothesized it was a rare exercise-induced visceral hypersensitivity. His treatment plan was unorthodox: a two-week break from all medical talk, a food and mood diary, and gentle reintroduction of activity not as training, but as play. He framed her not as a broken athlete, but as a whole person under strain. The pain resolved. He gave her her sport back by first making her a person again.