29.01.2025 12:06
The cause of death of 5-year-old Ece Melisa Mercankaya, who passed away after dining at a restaurant in Izmir, was determined three years later. It was found that Ece died as a result of pancarditis, which developed due to food poisoning leading to inflammation of the heart muscle. Ece's mother requested that the restaurant responsible for her daughter's death receive the harshest penalty and that the doctors be investigated.
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Three years after dining at a restaurant in Izmir and subsequently falling ill, Ece Melisa Mercankaya (5), whose cause of death was recorded as 'unknown', has had her cause of death determined. Her mother, Hasret Mercankaya, who learned that her daughter died from pancarditis, which can cause inflammation of the heart muscle following food poisoning, said, "I want the establishment that darkened our lives to receive the heaviest punishment. Since the doctors are innocent, I want them to be investigated as well."
DIAGNOSIS WAS NEVER MADE
Real estate consultant Cihan Mercankaya (39), who came from Belgium for a holiday at their summer house in Didim, along with his wife Hasret Mercankaya (38) and their children Ece Melisa Mercankaya and Ege Mercankaya (6), dined at a restaurant in Gaziemir, Izmir, on April 13, 2022. The family of four returned to Didim after the meal. After a while, Hasret Mercankaya and the children fell ill. Despite several visits to Didim State Hospital, no diagnosis was made for the mother and her two children. When Ece Melisa's condition worsened on April 17, the family went to the same hospital again. Ece Melisa and her mother, Hasret Mercankaya, who was in better condition, were transferred to Aydın Adnan Menderes University Application and Research Hospital, while Ege Mercankaya was transferred to Ege University Hospital a day later. Hasret Mercankaya was discharged, but her daughter Ece Melisa could not be saved.
MOTHER BEAT CANCER
Ege Mercankaya was also discharged after treatment on June 13, 2022. In the preliminary autopsy report of Ece Melisa, the cause of death was recorded as 'unknown'. Hasret Mercankaya, who experienced the pain of losing her daughter, was diagnosed with breast cancer during this process. After returning to Belgium for treatment with her husband and son, Hasret Mercankaya had her left breast removed in surgery. After the operation, she was diagnosed with both heart failure and pneumonia, but she overcame cancer last year.
AUTOPSY RESULTS REVEALED
The results of the detailed autopsy conducted with samples taken from Ece Melisa were released approximately three years later. The autopsy result of Ece Melisa Mercankaya, prepared by the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute under the Ministry of Justice, was delivered to the family. The autopsy report stated, "It should be accepted that the child's death occurred due to a disease characterized by severe pancarditis, which developed after food poisoning and has not received a definitive diagnosis." It was revealed that Ece Melisa Mercankaya, who ate meatballs with potatoes, died as a result of pancarditis, which can cause inflammation of the heart muscle following food poisoning.
'MY SON STILL CALLS FOR HIS SISTER'
Hasret Mercankaya said, "The autopsy report for my daughter has finally come out. We waited a long time for this. As we suspected, it turned out to be food poisoning. On the day of the incident, we went to the hospital for 5 days. My children were not intervened. Unfortunately, the doctors could not diagnose something as simple as food poisoning. After 5 days, the illness affected all of my daughter's organs. My child was taken to intensive care and passed away. If there had been no negligence on the part of the doctors, could a patient you discharged enter intensive care in a comatose state? Also, how is the establishment that caused my daughter's death still open? My son still calls for his sister. I want the establishment that darkened our lives to receive the heaviest punishment. Since the doctors are innocent, I want them to be investigated as well," she said.
Ege Mercankaya, who draws pictures for his sister, expressed his longing.
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