The heart of a 19-year-old woman who suffered brain death following a traffic accident was successfully transplanted into a 32-year-old patient in Türkiye’s Antalya, giving him a new lease on life.
Fatma Sude Uran, who passed away after being critically injured in a Nov. 12 car crash, became an organ donor when her family made the decision to donate her organs. Her heart was transported to Akdeniz University Hospital in Antalya, where it was transplanted by a surgical team led by professor Dr. Ömer Bayezid.
The recipient, Mehmet Yıldırım, who has suffered from congenital heart failure since childhood, expressed deep gratitude for his second chance at life. “I never expected to receive a transplant. It feels like a miracle,” Yıldırım told reporters. “Living with someone else’s heart is an indescribable feeling. I am forever thankful to the family who made this possible. Organ donation opens the door to new hopes and new lives for many.”
Yıldırım had relocated from Gaziantep to Antalya a year ago while waiting on the organ transplant list. Now, with his new heart, he plans to move forward with his life.
Uran was injured in a rollover accident in Burdur’s Gölhisar district, where a vehicle driven by Mustafa K., 21, overturned. Another passenger, Hasret Akbaş, 21, died at the scene, while Uran and two others were hospitalized. On Nov. 20, Uran was declared brain dead in the intensive care unit of Burdur State Hospital, leading her family to make the life-changing decision to donate her organs.
In addition to her heart, Uran’s kidneys and liver were sent to hospitals in Antalya and Konya, providing life-saving transplants to three other patients.
“Each donation is a new life, a spark of hope for another family,” Yıldırım said, urging others to consider the importance of organ donation.