14.11.2026 11:40
Burcu Yergin, who was born 36 years ago at Aydın State Hospital at 30 weeks and weighing 1350 grams, received treatment for 1.5 months in the neonatal intensive care unit of Ege University Hospital. Yergin, a nurse, has been caring for premature babies for 13 years in the same unit where she clung to life, and gives hope to families with her own story.
Burcu Yergin, who was born prematurely 36 years ago at Aydın State Hospital and was treated in the neonatal intensive care unit of Ege University (EU) Hospital, now heals premature babies as a nurse in the unit where she clung to life years ago.
Burcu Yergin, who was born prematurely weighing 1,350 grams at Aydın State Hospital, regained her health after 1.5 months of treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit of Ege University Hospital, where she was referred. After completing her education and becoming a nurse, Burcu Yergin has been working as a nurse for 13 years in the unit where she was healed. Yergin, who works devotedly so that premature babies who started life early like herself can hold on to life, gives hope with her life story to families waiting for the day they will hold their babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Explaining that she was referred to Ege University Hospital after being born at Aydın State Hospital, Yergin said, 'I was born as a 1,350-gram baby at 30 weeks to a mother with diabetes. I stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit for more than 1.5 months, completed my development in an incubator, and was discharged.'
SHE HAS BEEN WORKING IN THE SAME UNIT FOR 13 YEARS
Explaining that she has worked in the university's neonatal intensive care unit for 13 years, Yergin said, 'When I was appointed to Ege University, I wanted to work in the neonatal intensive care unit because I wanted to become more aware of what I experienced as a baby. Every time I see families here, I put them in my own family's place. I can imagine what my family felt at that time, how much they were saddened and worried.'
LET THEM NOT FORGET THAT THEIR BABY IS A GREAT FIGHTER
Offering advice to families whose babies were born prematurely, Yergin said, 'They should not be sad, they should be patient, and they should not lose hope. Because a baby born prematurely can also complete normal development and continue life at the same level as a baby born at term. I am an example of this. It is a difficult process; during this process, they should not forget that their baby is a great fighter. Once I was the hero of my own story; now I have become their hope nurse. That is why I am happy. I feel very valued and lucky here.'
WE WANT HER TO BE A HOPE FOR PREMATURE FAMILIES
Prof. Dr. Özge Altun, Head of the Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, said that World Prematurity Day was officially included in the calendar by the World Health Organization as November 15, and that this year's theme was determined as 'long-term follow-up.' She said that approximately 1 in 10 babies in the world and 12.9 percent in our country are born prematurely, and that everyone could encounter this situation. Prof. Dr. Altun said, 'This year's theme is to draw attention to long-term follow-up. Even if babies are born prematurely, they can achieve similar life happiness and success as babies born on time. For this, families need not neglect long-term follow-up after discharge. After discharge, their vision, hearing, development, nutrition, and growth need to be meticulously followed by expert teams. If these follow-ups are done on time, things that can be intervened in babies can be detected early and treated. Therefore, we tell families not to neglect their follow-up appointments after discharge from the hospital.'
Prof. Dr. Altun continued as follows:
'I am a very lucky neonatologist because we have a nurse who was herself born prematurely. She is part of our team as a very talented and compassionate nurse. We want the point our nurse has reached to give hope to all premature families.'