Efe Leo, who is waiting for a bone marrow transplant, calls for donations
Efe Leo, the only child of Gizem Çıraklar (35), who works at the Manisa Bar Association, and musician Efe Çıraklar (38), was taken to Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital last month due to bruises on his body and a headache. Following high white blood cell counts in hospital tests, Efe Leo was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) on October 6. He was then treated at LÖSANTE Hospital, a hospital run by the Foundation for Children with Leukemia in Ankara. He was then given chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. Efe Leo, who has been treated at the hospital with his mother for about a month, can see his father for 15 minutes once a week.
The family created a social media account in their name to find a suitable donor for their child and to offer hope to children like him. The social media account, which features videos of Efe Leo calling for bone marrow donations as well as videos of him eating and playing games at the hospital, quickly reached 10,000 followers. Efe Leo's video, "You will be my heroes by donating blood," garnered numerous views, while Manisa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Besim Dutlulu, Galatasaray Sports Club players Eren Elmalı, Metehan Baltacı, Yunus Akgün, Abdülkerim Bardakcı, and Günay Güvenç, Gaziantep Football Club Technical Director Burak Yılmaz, former national team players Ümit Karan and Semih Şentürk, and Manisa Bar Association President Sevgi Başak Yeşil also supported Efe Leo's bone marrow donation campaign with their social media posts.
Gizem Çıraklar, explaining that she was devastated when her son was diagnosed with leukemia, said, "Because I didn't know if there was a cure, if you'd ever see your child again, or how long you'd see them—I questioned everything. Then we contacted LÖSEV. We were brought to Ankara by ambulance. There, our doctors immediately performed procedures to balance Efe Leo's blood values, and Leo responded immediately to the treatment. We created a social media page in Efe Leo's name. There, Efe Leo is trying to instill hope in many children like him who are struggling with this disease. He's also gained a wonderful following. He's currently making cooking videos almost every day. His goal is to motivate his friends who are sick like him and aren't eating, to help them be strong. When I heard the diagnosis, a movie flashed before my eyes. But now, this hospital has a 94 percent leukemia cure rate. This gave me strength and hope. The first weeks were very difficult. Because I kept wondering, 'Is this the end? Are we eating the last things today?' "Thoughts like these put a lot of pressure on me. Morale is as important as responsiveness during the treatment process," he said.
Çıraklar, noting that they have launched a campaign for their son, Efe Leo, and children battling leukemia, said, "Any healthy individual between the ages of 18 and 35 can go directly to a blood center and donate just three tubes of blood to give hope to all children diagnosed with the disease. That's why we want to make a call to everyone. Not just for Efe Leo, but for all his friends waiting for a bone marrow transplant, you can save a life by donating three tubes of blood. We're actually looking for Efe Leo's genetic twin. Leo is a very strong kid. He misses his friends so much, and he says he wants to go to school, fish, and play football when he gets out of here."
'THE 5 MINUTES YOU SPEND WILL BECOME HOPE AND LIFE FOR ALL CHILDREN'Father Efe Çıraklar said that their son, Efe Leo, was a very energetic child, saying, "I'm normally in control of everything. But that was a time in my life when I could never control him. While my wife and son were in the hospital in Ankara, I thought, 'What can I do outside?' Yes, he'll get better eventually, but due to his condition, he needed a bone marrow transplant, and we launched campaigns in Manisa. Yes, during this time, we always think of the poor condition of those children, but that's not the case. Yes, they're moving on with their lives during the treatment process. During this process, we realized there's a misconception about bone marrow transplantation. We're trying to dispel that. Donors are available not just for Leo, but for many children. A bone marrow transplant requires three tubes of blood. After these tests, if you're a suitable donor, blood is collected from the donor and the transplant is performed for our children. A mere five minutes will bring hope and life to all children."
Efe Leo Çıraklar said, "We eat healthy and make videos. I spend a good time here. I go to school, we do games and dances at school. My mom and I have a little fun in our room. We play with Legos. We play with our friends here, we ride bikes. I had a bit of a stomach ache and a headache, but I'm getting better now. They've removed my IV drip because I'm feeling a little better. I love eating, and I make videos so my friends can eat healthy. My favorite thing is pizza."
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