Spec. MD. Aysegul Islek Yuksel

My 82-year-old mother, Fatma, was admitted to Medical Park Mersin with severe dehydration and confusion during the heatwave. Dr. Aysegul Islek Yuksel was the internal medicine specialist on call. What struck me wasn't just her medical expertise, it was how she knelt by the bed to speak directly to my mother at eye level, explaining each step in simple Turkish despite my mother's disorientation. She discovered an underlying urinary tract infection that everyone else had missed, and coordinated with cardiology when she noticed a subtle irregularity in the EKG. For two nights, she personally checked on my mother during her rounds, once at 11 PM and again at 6 AM. She treated the whole person, not just the chart. My mother now calls her 'the doctor who listens with her eyes.'

As a 28-year-old expat teacher from Canada, I walked into Dr. Yuksel's clinic for what I thought was a routine physical for my work visa. I mentioned in passing some occasional dizziness after eating. Instead of dismissing it, she asked precise questions about timing, foods, and sensations, questions I'd never considered. She ordered specific blood glucose monitoring at exact intervals. Turns out I have reactive hypoglycemia, a precursor to metabolic issues. Her approach was like detective work; she connected seemingly unrelated symptoms (fatigue, brain fog after meals) into a coherent picture. She spent 45 minutes drawing diagrams of insulin response and created a personalized nutrition plan with local Turkish foods I could actually find. This wasn't a checkup; it was a life-changing diagnosis caught before it became serious.

Our 7-year-old son, Emre, was hospitalized with Kawasaki disease, a rare pediatric condition that fell under Dr. Yuksel's internal medicine purview. In the terrifying blur of high fevers and red eyes, she became our anchor. She used a stuffed animal to explain to Emre how his 'body soldiers' were overreacting. Every day, she brought a new sticker for his chart. When the first IVIG treatment failed, she didn't panic; she calmly presented us with three clear next-step options, including risks in layman's terms. What was unique was her 'family rounds', she'd update both sets of grandparents separately on video calls since COVID restrictions kept them away. She caught early coronary artery dilation through relentless monitoring. We're convinced her vigilance prevented long-term heart damage.

I'm a 54-year-old fisherman with no prior health concerns until I developed bizarre neurological symptoms: tingling in my hands, balance issues. After three specialists found nothing, I saw Dr. Yuksel as a last resort. She did something no one else had, she asked about my work environment. When I mentioned repairing fishing nets with my teeth, she immediately ordered heavy metal testing. Diagnosis: chronic mercury poisoning from handling old lead-weighted nets. Her investigation felt like a forensic scene reconstruction. She collaborated with occupational health specialists to create a safety protocol for our entire fishing cooperative. Now, six months later, my symptoms are 90% resolved. She didn't just treat me; she changed workplace practices for our whole community. Her clinic notes included hand-drawn diagrams of toxin pathways that she gave me to understand the process.