Sevgi and Selahattin Çağdaş, a couple who met at a dialysis center and married 17 years ago, are calling for increased organ donations to help save the lives of others waiting for transplants.
Sevgi Çağdaş, who started dialysis as a child, first encountered Selahattin Çağdaş during a one-day trip to Fethiye, a coastal town in Muğla province, southwestern Türkiye. Both were receiving treatment at a local dialysis center. Two years later, the two crossed paths again at the same center, sparking a relationship that led to marriage. With the support of their doctors, they tied the knot and spent six years undergoing dialysis together, sustaining themselves by producing and selling handicrafts.
The couple’s lives took a significant turn when Selahattin was matched with a kidney donor through the transplant waitlist at Akdeniz University’s Professor Dr. Tuncer Karpuzoğlu Organ Transplant Center. They relocated to Antalya for the procedure. Five months later, Sevgi also received a kidney transplant at the same hospital, freeing them both from the grueling dialysis sessions and allowing them to live healthier lives.
Now employed at the hospital where she was once treated, Sevgi reflects on the hardships she endured, starting dialysis at such a young age. “I met my husband in Fethiye, and we’ve been married for 17 years, soon to be 18,” she said.
“We received our transplants just five months apart. When my husband got his transplant, I took care of him while continuing my own dialysis three times a week. Then, when it was my turn, he cared for me. May God bless those who donated. We honored our wedding vows of ‘in good times and bad.’ After the transplant, my skin became healthier, I gained weight, and my outlook on life changed. Life is beautiful, and so is happiness.”
Sevgi described how their relationship defied the odds: “We got married when people said, ‘Dialysis patients can’t marry,’ and ‘They can’t take care of each other,’ but we did. We’ve always supported each other. From that time to now, we’ve never let go of each other. For others to hold on to life, please consider donating – let your organs live on in others.”
Selahattin, too, emphasized the transformative power of organ donation. “After the transplant, I embraced life with both hands,” he said. Now retired, he takes care of their home while Sevgi contributes to their household income.
“I cook and handle the housework, and my wife supports us financially. Organ transplants gave us a second chance at life, and we are healthy. Every donation saves a life,” he said.