So, without health, you have nothing. It’s that simple, really. People often think of health as something you can buy and don’t appreciate its value. Yet, every breath we take, every smell we smell, every piece of music we listen to, and every taste we take in our lives has value. A healthy person can truly enjoy life.
A general tendency is for people to look after themselves when they lose their health. Afterward, they begin to see life in a new light. I’ve experienced these many times both personally and in those around me.
Examples from my close circle
As an example, let me share my father’s experience. In 2003, my father was diagnosed with cancer. After his cancer diagnosis, he called me and asked, “Serhan, I want to evaluate alternative cancer treatment options. Could you research the best institution in the US?” My research led me to two institutions: MD Anderson in Houston and Sloan Kettering in New York. The fact that both centers are cancer-focused hospitals, their success rates in treatment, their resources devoted to R&D, their high success rates in cancer treatments, and their use of the best methods made them shortlist. Later, when I considered all the criteria together, MD Anderson stepped forward and I informed my father that MD Anderson was the cancer center he should go to for treatment. This time, he asked, “Would you organize this process?” I gladly made the arrangements and traveled with him to the United States. We have many anecdotes here. I’d like to share one with you: The doctor who performed my father’s surgery was of Armenian origin, while the doctor who prescribed and administered the chemotherapy was of Greek origin and American origin. I remember everyone in the room laughing when my father brought up this situation during a consultation where both of them were present, jokingly saying, “I swallowed the pill.” Even in the most difficult times, one must remember to laugh. In this regard, I greatly appreciate the Laughter Heals Association. I recommend checking out their website when you have time: https://www.gulmekiyilestirir.org.tr/
In the final stages of his years-long treatment, my father was truly bored abroad and wanted to return home. He asked me to find a hospital and doctor who could properly administer the chemotherapy treatment developed in the United States. I found Prof. Dr. Nil Molinas at the American Hospital in Istanbul. They continued the treatment very successfully, and after years of treatment, my father, thank God, recovered. After our departure, the American Hospital signed a collaboration agreement with MD Anderson and began working together. This was a welcome development.
All the hospitals, doctors, and the way we managed this process were excellent. Instead of resorting to other treatment methods and hospital choices due to the nonsensical suggestions of his close circle, my father followed my path and recovered. I am happy and at peace about this.
Adventurous Ömer’s Accident
As a second example, let me tell you about the accident my childhood friend Ömer suffered 4-5 years ago. My friend from my summer home in Fethiye, Ömer, loves adrenaline and has always taken his sports to the extreme. For example, we all used to water ski, monoboard, and wakeboard. Ömer used to do barefoot, the most extreme form of water skiing. As far as I know, he became interested in parachuting 10 years ago. After starting with airplane jumps, he received special training in the US and advanced so much that he began doing acrobatics professionally. During one of his jumps in the US, the Red Bull America team was performing, and he was so impressed with the landing technique that he decided to try theirs. While performing a hook turn from a height of approximately 45 meters, the distance wasn’t enough, so he slammed into the ground with his open parachute at a speed of approximately 70 km/h. It was a miracle he even survived. His bones were crushed when he landed on his legs. He underwent numerous surgeries and years of rehabilitation. Eventually, they managed to recover his legs. Beyond walking, he resumed sports. Of course, he gave up extreme sports like parachuting. It was probably only after the accident that he fully grasped that his passion could cost him his life.
Recently, Ömer found the woman of his dreams and married. Having practically returned from the pole and won his battle for life, I wish Ömer and his family a lifetime of happiness.
The surprising impact of marriage conversations
As a third example, I’d like to share the story of my university friend Thomas. At McGill University in Canada, where I studied, Thomas, who was half German and half French, was one of my closest friends. Beyond being one of my closest friends with his outlook on life, his cheerfulness, and his helpfulness, Thomas was also a beloved friend of everyone’s, involved in all the Turkish gatherings and events in Montreal. At one point, he was even engaged to a Turkish man I introduced him to. Both later married separately. I wrote an article about Thomas six years ago. I’m sharing it again as a reminder:
Thomas lost consciousness a few hours after eating oysters at a family dinner on New Year’s Eve 2018 and was hospitalized. His condition worsened and he fell into a coma. When his coma reached three weeks, his mother summoned all of Thomas’s close friends. We all gathered at the hospital in Düsseldorf. That day, a miracle happened.
We were chatting among ourselves in the hospital room about marriage. During this conversation, Thomas, who had just been divorced, showed his first reaction after three weeks in a deep coma: he moved his arm. We suddenly stopped talking and looked at Thomas, and we couldn’t help but laugh. It was an incredible moment. Interestingly, Thomas’ first reaction was to the subject of marriage, a topic he was truly sensitive about. This, of course, later became a joke among us.
A week after this initial movement, Thomas woke up and began a rapid recovery. He now lives a healthy life in Germany. I asked Thomas what he felt during his coma and whether he had heard our conversations. He said, “I don’t remember much, but it feels like I heard your voice in a dream.”
A picture we took with Thomas in the past
Another unfortunate accident
Another example is what happened to our young friend Alaattin, who started working through EkoRE’s internship program at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) and became one of our key project engineers within two or three years. We are proud of his character and work ethic. In May of this year, he transferred from our company to another energy company. While working on a roof installation at that company in August, he fell headfirst from the roof and fell into a severe coma. He underwent severe brain surgery and subsequently spent a month in the intensive care unit at Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital. A curious development occurred during my visit to Alaattin, coincidentally, during his third week of coma. His mother recorded my voice, and she went in first to play it back. During this time, Alaattin blinked, giving his mother his first significant reaction during his coma. Then, with his mother’s permission, I went in as well. When I spoke to Alaattin, he showed me two reactions: he moved his head and moved his foot from side to side. After these first serious signs, Alaattin woke up within 10 days, just as I had told his family. He was then transferred from intensive care to Istanbul. He is currently recovering rapidly in a rehabilitation center in Istanbul. He has almost fully recovered.
This is a picture we took two years ago after the Istanbul Marathon. On the far right of the picture is Alaattin, wearing a green t-shirt, next to me. May our smiles last forever.
I also asked Alaattin what he remembered during his coma. He said he vaguely remembered some conversations and heard my voice. However, since he was generally in a deep sleep during his coma, he didn’t remember much. His recovery and rapid recovery have made us all, especially his family, very happy. I wish Alaattin a speedy recovery and a speedy return to his successful engineering career. The solar energy sector needs young engineers like Alaattin, who have good character and are dedicated to their work. Finally, Dost Bey, who was my communications consultant and even supported me with my blog, was also struck by the evil eye last year. Suddenly unable to move, he underwent two very serious surgeries in quick succession. First, a heart valve replacement, then spinal surgery. He could have been on the table for both. Thank God, he successfully survived both surgeries and returned to us. I wish him a speedy recovery and wish him a healthy and happy life from now on. We have so much more to do with him in the future.
A picture of Dost Bey and I on the roof of our old Maltepe office. We will achieve our sustainability goals together…
The Importance of Motivation and Positive Energy
During these times, I told Thomas’s and Alaattin’s families that I knew they would recover and that the important thing was to keep their morale and motivation high. Thank God, I was right.
As for me, I’ve been dealing with five different health problems since last year. I’ve had one surgery. Thank God, I’ve solved most of them and am continuing to solve the rest. Having said that, I want to make a point here: If there’s such a thing as the evil eye, and if someone’s evil eye or negative energy touches me, I return that negative energy back to its source. I reject their negative energy. My door is always open to the positive energy of my friends.
Gratitude is also very important. Every morning, I wake up and give thanks for what I have. People often focus on what they don’t have, but to achieve happiness and live a positive life, it’s essential to appreciate what we do have.
Let’s not forget that we all exist in this life cycle, with our lives coinciding with a specific period in the universe. What contribution we make to life and what kind of life we live are all in our hands. At this point, I’d like to recapture my perspective on life.
Imbuing life with meaning
Everyone has a starting point in this life. Some are born well-off, others are born in poverty. No one can choose their parents. We all start somewhere. What matters isn’t where you start, but the difference between where you start and where you end up. If you’ve always built upon your progress in life, you’ve lived a positive life. This shouldn’t necessarily be perceived in economic terms. In other words, if you’ve been a good parent and raised good children for your country and the world, then you’ve had a good life contributing to humanity. If you’ve served people for a long time in an NGO, then you’ve had a positive life. Of course, all of this requires hard work and serious effort. There’s also the joy of life. After all, we all exist for a certain period. That’s why I embrace Pura Vida, a philosophy unique to Costa Rica. This philosophical approach can be translated into Turkish by various concepts such as ‘pure life,’ ‘beautiful life,’ ‘living to the fullest,’ or ‘positive life.’ No matter how it’s used, it always reflects a positive expression. My understanding of Pura Vida’s ‘positive life’ equivalent is this: Life is beautiful to the extent it’s imbued with meaning. Therefore, we must take responsibility and focus on creating what’s positive and meaningful.
A few weeks ago, when I met with my elementary school friends on Bağdat Street, I was thinking about the lines I wrote above. My siblings, whom I went to school with 35 years ago, were reunited once again in this cycle of life. It was a true joy to meet and spend time together 35 years after we laid the foundations of our brotherhood in our short-pants days, as adults, families, and healthy individuals with significant experiences. I hope all my siblings and I spend the rest of our lives healthy and happy.
Stay well, everyone.
Note: Thankfully, the friends who read this article told me that the quote I mentioned in the introduction was from Vehbi Koç. We commemorate him with gratitude.
Our picture taken in elementary school
A photo from our meeting with my elementary school friends on Bağdat Street a few weeks ago.
Tag: health
