In Izmir, the "You Could Be Life" Festival was organized through a collaboration between the Turkish Red Crescent, the Provincial Health Directorate, Karşıyaka Municipality, and various civil society organizations to raise awareness about blood, stem cell, and organ donation.
The festival, held at a shopping mall, brought together individuals awaiting organ transplants, donors, their families, officials from public institutions, and volunteers from civil society organizations.
Numerous citizens attending the event donated blood and registered as organ donors.
"I'm making a call to your conscience"
Twenty-year-old Elif Azra Bulut, a medical school student who was diagnosed with lymphoma after visiting a hospital in Bursa for a cough, attended the festival and shared her story.
Bulut, who learned she had lymphoma after completing her first year at Kütahya Health Sciences University Faculty of Medicine, said, "I had to suspend my education. I started treatment and am now waiting for a stem cell transplant. That's why I'm here today. I'm making a heartfelt appeal to everyone: our lives may depend on your blood or your stem cells."
Emphasizing that her goal is to recover, complete her education, and save lives, Bulut added, "Even before, I always wanted to save human lives—that's why I chose to study medicine. Surgery was always my dream specialty, but now hematology also interests me. I will become a doctor with deep personal experience, and I believe this will make me a better physician for my patients."
Mehmet Aksoy, 32, another festival participant, shared that his 5-year-old daughter Ecrin, who suffers from leukemia, survived thanks to a bone marrow transplant from her 6-year-old brother Yasin.
Doctors also issued an appeal
Prof. Dr. Barış Malbora, Head of Pediatric Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Yeni Yüzyıl University Gaziosmanpaşa Hospital, stated that the aim of the festival was to raise awareness about blood, stem cell, and organ donation.
Inviting citizens to become blood and stem cell donors, Malbora said, "Blood donation is an ongoing need. Please become regular blood donors."
Over the course of two days, the "You Could Be Life" Festival featured informational sessions and concerts to draw attention to blood, stem cell, and organ donation.
Source: Haberler.com