17.07.2026 16:12
Sezer Çümen, a 34-year-old living in Denizli, donated stem cells six years ago at the Red Crescent while donating blood to bring hope to a stranger. Years later, that donation saved the life of his mother, who was battling leukemia. In the process where 1.2 million people were screened at the Turkish Stem Cell Coordination Center (TÜRKÖK), the donor who was a 100% match for the patient turned out to be her own son, creating a story of hope that doctors describe as 'one in a million'.
Fatma Çümen, a 55-year-old woman living in Denizli, suddenly developed a fever at her home on May 3, 2025. Her only son, Sezer Çümen (34), took her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with leukemia. After a 1.5-month chemotherapy process at Denizli Pamukkale University Hospital, Fatma Çümen was discharged, but her health issues continued. Subsequently, she and her son went to Memorial Health Group Medstar Hospital in Antalya, where a bone marrow transplant decision was made for the unfortunate woman.
1.2 MILLION PEOPLE SCREENED, ONLY COMPATIBLE DONOR FOUND TO BE HER SON
Initially, samples were taken from Fatma Çümen's siblings; one sibling was compatible but could not donate due to illness. Therefore, Çümen was registered in the TÜRKÖK database. The screening revealed that the patient was 100% compatible with a person who had donated to the Turkish Red Crescent 6 years ago. Upon learning that this person was her own biological son, Sezer Çümen, everyone was shocked. After the surprising event, necessary preparations were made, and a bone marrow transplant was performed on Fatma Çümen from her son.
DESPAIR REPLACED BY TEARS OF JOY
With Fatma Çümen recovering and being discharged from the hospital, the tears of despair suddenly turned into tears of joy. Sezer Çümen described the events as follows:
"Six years ago, while giving blood to the Red Crescent on the road, a friend there said, 'Come on, make a donor donation too.' I donated, thinking that one day I might match someone and save a life. Years passed, and now it has come back to us. It turned out that my mother and I are compatible in the database. Of course, we found out about this later. I received a call from the stem cell bank, saying my marrow matched someone. Naturally, neither the other party nor I knew that it was my mother. Then another call came, and I learned it was my mother. We were very surprised, couldn't believe it, and I cried. We had the transplant. My mother underwent intensive chemotherapy; it was a tough process, but she is recovering now."
"ONE TUBE OF BLOOD CHANGES EVERYTHING"
Çümen, stating that a life can be saved by just giving one tube of blood, said, "Even if I had given it to someone else, I would have felt this happiness. It could be for a baby, a child, or an adult. No one should say nothing will happen to them. One tube of blood you give changes everything. You can see this by taking us as an example."
Tears of joy shed by mother Fatma Çümen said, "My son, whom I raised to this age, saved me. May Allah be pleased with him, I owe him everything."
"A RARE CASE SEEN ONCE IN A MILLION"
Providing information about the process, Hematology Specialist Prof. Dr. Mustafa Çetin stated that initially, the patient's siblings were checked for transplantation, but the compatible sibling could not be a donor due to illness. He explained that the process was initiated to find a suitable donor through the TÜRKÖK screening. Çetin noted their surprise when the compatible donor from the database of approximately 1.2 million people turned out to be the patient's own son, saying, "This is a positive coincidence that happens once in a million. While the mother was identical to her siblings, we did not expect her to match herself. But by chance, her son turned out to be 100% compatible, meaning 12 out of 12. Upon this, we immediately stopped the screening and proceeded with the child. This is a rare case seen once in a million."
"BEING A DONOR IS VERY IMPORTANT"
Çetin, stating that normally the chance of finding a donor from a patient's siblings ranges between 25% and 40%, emphasized that thanks to donor applications like this, the probability of patients waiting for a transplant finding a suitable donor has increased, thus allowing them to recover. Çetin said, "Being a donor is very important and saves patients' lives. If Turkey did not have its own donor program, we would not have found a donor. If her son had not gone and applied to the donor program, the patient would not have found a donor; we might not have found one in the world. Thanks to this program, we can now find suitable donors for our patients."
"DONATION WITH JUST ONE TUBE OF BLOOD"
Hematology Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müfide Okay Özgeyik also stated that in the treatment of Fatma Çümen, who presented with leukemia, they initially used smart drugs, but when a bone marrow biopsy revealed low blood counts and bone marrow failure, they decided on a transplant. Özgeyik noted that the TÜRKÖK screening identified a suitable donor, but initially they did not know it was her son who had donated 6 years ago, and emphasized that this situation should serve as an example. Özgeyik said, "With such an example, I recommend that our entire society become donors to the Red Crescent, an important resource for donors like TÜRKÖK. Even if they do not need it for their relatives, they can be a hope for children or adult leukemia patients they have never met. That patient could be your own relative. It is very important for us that all people over 30 without any illness become donors with just one tube of blood."