Patients with "Tibial Hemimelia" (Congenital Absence of the Tibia), a Condition Seen in One in a Million, Meet in Tuzla!

Orthopedic and Traumatology Specialist Op. Dr. Cengiz Çabukoğlu brought together children and families with "Tibial Hemimelia" (Congenital Absence of the Tibia), a condition seen in one in a million, at Okan University Hospital. After providing brief training to families from across Turkey, Çabukoğlu examined the children and then had dinner with the families. "Tibial Hemimelia" refers to the congenital absence of the tibia. Children born with this diagnosis were previously recommended to have their legs amputated below the knee, as they were thought to have lost the ability to walk from birth. However, there is an alternative treatment method available. Op. Dr. Cengiz Çabukoğlu, an Orthopedic and Traumatology Specialist and one of the few physicians worldwide applying this method, enables patients with "Tibial Hemimelia," seen in one in a million cases, to walk.

Children Examined

Çabukoğlu brought together children born without a tibia and their families at Okan University Hospital, having treated 42 children using this method so far. Op. Dr. Cengiz Çabukoğlu said that there are patients with this disease who cannot reach treatment or are unaware of it, stating: "We organized such an event to make our voice heard to some extent by these patients and to make children without a tibia and their families feel that they are not alone." The Orthopedic and Traumatology Specialist provided brief training to the families and answered their questions. After the training, Çabukoğlu took X-rays and examined the children individually, then had dinner with the families in the evening.

Families Came from Across Turkey

Yüksel Ekmez, father of 5-year-old Eylül, who was born without both kneecaps and a tibia, said: "We came from Konya. We traveled everywhere in Turkey and researched extensively. We came across Cengiz Hoca through a newspaper clipping in 2013, and from that day on he became our light. He was always there for us materially and spiritually. My daughter is walking now. We are satisfied. My wife and I thought that if we were searching, there must be other patients searching like us. Because we are not the only ones. For this reason, we founded the 'Tibial Deficiency' Group on Facebook. We are here today to make our voices heard," he said. Pınar Kıyançiçek, mother of Emirhan who came from Antalya for this event, said: "It was never easy for a mother like me. We were psychologically very distressed. When we saw people like us here who understand us, we were very happy. Thank you very much for bringing us together and making our voices heard."