Dr. Füsun Yeğenoğlu

My 82-year-old father, Ahmet, was admitted to Kayseri Hospital Acibadem with severe pneumonia that had progressed to septic shock. Dr. Füsun Yeğenoğlu took over his case in the Critical Care unit. What struck me wasn't just her medical expertise—which was evident in how she stabilized him—but how she spoke to him. Even when he was sedated, she'd explain procedures to him as if he could understand. She called me daily with updates in plain Turkish, never using confusing medical jargon. When he developed a secondary infection, she personally monitored his antibiotic response every four hours. After three weeks, he walked out of the hospital. We call her 'the commander who fought death for us.'

Our 7-year-old daughter, Elif, was rushed to Acibadem after a near-drowning incident at a pool party. Dr. Yeğenoğlu managed her respiratory failure in the ICU. The first thing she did was kneel to our eye level in the waiting room and say, 'I will care for her as if she were my own.' She used a small stuffed bear to explain the ventilator to Elif when she woke up confused. She noticed Elif's fear of the beeping monitors and had a nurse quietly adjust them. She even coordinated with a pediatric specialist without us asking. But most remarkably, two months later, she called to check if Elif had returned to swimming lessons, saying, 'Conquering fear is part of recovery.' Who does that?

I'm a 45-year-old farmer from a village outside Kayseri. After a complex pancreatic surgery, I developed unexpected multi-organ complications. Dr. Yeğenoğlu's approach was unlike any doctor I've met. She created a hand-drawn diagram of my organs on a whiteboard, updating it daily to show my progress. When traditional treatments plateaued, she consulted with a specialist in Istanbul via video conference right at my bedside, translating the technical discussion for me. She remembered I missed my sheepdog and had my daughter send photos to put near my bed. Her critical care felt deeply personal—she fought for my life with both fierce intelligence and unexpected tenderness. I owe her my second chance.

My husband had a routine heart valve replacement that turned catastrophic when he coded in recovery. Dr. Yeğenoğlu was the storm of calm that swept into the chaos. She didn't just shout orders—she created silence around her, directing the team with precise, quiet commands. She updated me every 30 minutes, even when there was no change. What I'll never forget is how, after stabilizing him, she reviewed the surgical footage herself to understand the trigger, then explained it to both the surgeon and our family without assigning blame. Her follow-up has been meticulous; she still responds to my texts about his medication adjustments. In critical care, she embodies both scientist and guardian.