He Beat Leukemia, Made A Graduation Ceremony in His Hospital Room, and Won the University

Lösemiyi Yendi, Hastane Odasında Kep Atıp Üniversiteyi Kazandı

18-year-old Berkay Derviş Yaldız, who lives in Istanbul, suddenly fell ill in February 2019. The young man, whose heart palpitations became severe and who felt weakness, was taken to the hospital by his family. As a result of the examinations, Yaldız was diagnosed with leukemia. Berkay, who started the treatment process hastily, graduated from high school with the support of his teachers. Yaldız, who threw her graduation cap in the hospital room, took the exam and won his dream department. Berkay Derviş Yaldız's will to live impressed everyone. Yaldız, who suddenly experienced severe heart palpitations and weakness while studying in their last year of high school, was taken to the hospital by his parents.

The young man was diagnosed with leukemia after the doctors performed blood tests and various tests. The family, who felt great sadness when they heard about the disease, stayed up for Berkay. He left everything aside and focused on the treatment process. Berkay defeated the disease after a difficult 9-month treatment period carried out by Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Pediatric Hematology Specialist Dr. Çetin Timur.

Berkay, who finished school with the support of his teachers in this process, threw his graduation cap in the hospital room. The young man, who also entered YKS, won the visual communication design department at a private university. The young man, who is currently being treated with medications at home, aims to successfully complete his university education.

“Graduating from High School Gave Me Great Morale”

Berkay Derviş Yaldız, who stated that he encountered the disease during a busy period when he was preparing for the university exam, made the following statements about the difficult treatment process: “I was a senior high school student, I was preparing for YKS, so I was going through a busy period. When the symptoms first started, I started to be unable to climb the slopes I could climb, and fatigue peaked. I never suspected cancer. I thought it was another disease. We went to the hospital urgently. Even the doctors were surprised at my blood result. A diagnosis of leukemia was made as a result of the bone marrow test. Of course, when I heard about the disease, I was very sad, but I recovered quickly. Because it was a process in which my sadness would not be beneficial. We started to focus on treatment. My teachers supported me and made exams at home. This is how I got my diploma. I even threw away my graduation cap during treatment in the hospital room. It also gave me great morale during the treatment process, it was a good moment.”

“Believe that the Treatment Will Be Successful”

Pointing out that it is important to relax the mind during the treatment process, Yaldız said, “There is nothing more important than health. Therefore, you should definitely not think about any other situation other than focusing on your treatment. It is very important to believe. The first thing to do is to let go of these worries. The person needs to relax mentally during the treatment process. Thinking about the lessons is not helpful at all. After the treatment, I gradually focused on my lessons. I succeeded in a short time; it is not difficult at all. As of February 2019, I had a critical treatment period of 6-7 months. In this process, I did not think of anything that would make me unhappy. I studied at home by myself. My grades were not very good, but I did not give up. After the difficult period, I also went through a difficult exam process. I also focused on my studies without compromising my health. At the end of the process, I won the department I wanted at the university I wanted. More precisely, I accomplished this after a long marathon.”

“I Was Crying Outside But I Looked Strong Beside Him”

Hülya Yaldız, the mother who was always with her son throughout the treatment, said that she always tried to be happy in order to keep Berkay’s morale high. The mother, who said, "I stood up for my son," gave the following advice to families struggling with the disease: “We couldn't understand what we were getting into as a family. My son was both a student and a working child. We suddenly found ourselves in the oncology department. I had a seizure when I first heard it. I was put to sleep with needles for 2 days. I had to stand up for my son. My son said, 'Mom if your eyes are like that, I can't live. I said, 'I have to stand up to keep my son alive'. I had to look happy at him. I stood up, looking strong next to him while I was crying out loud outside. I became a very happy and positive mother, and I was joking with my son. A week after he was diagnosed, it was his birthday, he would turn 18. As a mother, I did everything I could to keep my son alive. My advice to families is that they should never get into the psychology of illness, they should say 'we will win this'. They should think about how they can fight the disease. They should also pay attention to the warnings of the doctors without interrupting their treatment. They should give morale and not treat their children like they are sick. Our hospital and our teacher, Dr. Çetin, who treated us, made a great effort. He started his treatment in a very short time. He was with us at every stage of the treatment.

Father Orhan Yaldız, who explained that they were always hopeful during the treatment process as a family, said, “We never lost our hope. I was very confident that Berkay would overcome this disease. Because he was a very determined, successful child who did not give up. He graduated from high school while he was combatting the disease. He took the university entrance exam and passed the exam. He threw his cap in the hospital room. That cap-throwing photo was shown at the graduation ceremony. This was a great morale booster for us and Berkay.”

“Leukemias Make Up 30 Percent of Childhood Cancers”

Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Pediatric Hematology Specialist Dr. Çetin Timur explained that leukemia constitutes 30 percent of childhood cancers and stated, “When Berkay came to us in February 2019, he had a weakness, pallor, and palpitations. On examination, enlargement of the neck lymph nodes and spleen were detected. Since we suspected the disease, we asked for tests. A decrease in protective cells was detected and anemia was present. This was the reason for the palpitations and weakness. There was a serious decrease in the platelet count, which increased the bleeding. In the bone marrow examination, we detected more than 90 percent of atypical cells, which we call blasts. We diagnosed the patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia with other examinations. Berkay's intensive chemotherapy lasted about 9 months. He had troublesome periods when his fever rose, and we had problems due to chemotherapy, but in the end, he overcame all of them and the treatment became successful.”

“Consult a Physician If You Have These Symptoms”

Leukemia is seen in 1 in 25 thousand children. However, it may appear more frequently in some cases. But among childhood cancers, leukemia is the most common type of cancer. Leukemia accounts for 30 percent of childhood cancers. Reminding that leukemia is a treatable disease today, Hematologist Dr. Çetin Timur said, “It has a success rate of up to 90 percent. The disease has antecedent symptoms that can mimic some other diseases. The abnormal proliferation of leukemia cells prevents the production of other healthy blood cells in the bone marrow. The disease can be seen in the form of bleeding and bruising in various ways due to a decrease in red blood cells or protective cells we call leukocytes, or as a result of febrile diseases such as recurrent upper respiratory tract infections, and a decrease in blood platelets. Patients may complain of unexplained leg pain due to bone and bone marrow involvement. Of course, when these happen, the worst should not immediately come to mind, the reason for most of them may be unimportant. In such cases, it is important to consult the family doctor or the relevant doctor.”