25.04.2025 11:56
A 67-year-old man named Rahmi Karademir, who suffered a blood clot in his brain in Konya, surprised those around him by starting to communicate in Danish, a language he had not used for years, after the intervention at Selçuk University Medical Faculty Hospital. Prof. Dr. Gökhan Özdemir stated, "This situation is a rare phenomenon, although it can be encountered in the literature."
After living in Denmark for 20 years, Karademir, a father of 7, settled in Konya 10 years ago. He underwent knee surgery last week at the Selçuk University Medical Faculty Hospital Orthopedics Department. Two days after the operation, Karademir was urgently evaluated due to sudden loss of strength (paralysis) in his right arm and leg, as well as speech impairment.
Examinations revealed that Karademir had a clot in one of the major vessels on the left side of his brain, which had caused a blockage. An angiography was quickly performed to remove the clot. After the procedure, Karademir's complaints largely ceased, and his sudden ability to speak Danish surprised those around him, especially his wife. The fact that Karademir, who could not speak Turkish, began to speak a language he had not used for years caught the attention of the specialists.
"PARALYSIS AND SPEECH PROBLEM ADDRESSED QUICKLY"
Prof. Dr. Gökhan Özdemir, a faculty member of the Neurology Department at Selçuk University Medical Faculty Hospital, who performed the clot removal operation, stated that the patient was intervened quickly. Emphasizing the seriousness of the situation, Özdemir said, "We quickly took our patient to angiography and removed the clot. After the procedure, the paralysis in the patient's right arm and leg improved rapidly, and he started using them again. The patient's presence in the hospital provided a chance for a quick intervention. This way, both the paralysis and the speech problem were addressed swiftly."
"A RARE CONDITION, EVEN IF RARELY ENCOUNTERED IN THE LITERATURE"
Özdemir, describing the surprising situation they encountered after the operation, said, "We realized that the patient could not speak the Turkish he used in his daily life, but he was able to speak Danish, which we thought he had forgotten. This situation is a condition that is rarely encountered in the literature. In individuals who speak multiple languages, some languages may be forgotten after a brain vessel blockage or hemorrhage, while cases can occur where unused languages re-emerge. In individuals who speak two languages, the preservation of one language in the event of the loss of another provides a significant advantage in the rehabilitation process." Özdemir expressed that they expect the patient to speak Turkish again in the future, stating that it is possible to regain the language.
"CAN UNDERSTAND TURKISH BUT CANNOT SPEAK IT"
The patient's daughter, Meral Karademir, emphasized that her father had not spoken Danish for many years, saying, "He started speaking Danish. We were very surprised. Since my sisters know this language, he could communicate more easily with them. He can understand Turkish but cannot speak it. Hopefully, he will recover quickly. He is very upset because he thinks he has lost his own language." Rahmi Karademir, on the other hand, stated that with his daughter's translation, he could remember a few Turkish words, saying, "I understand Turkish but cannot speak it. I am pushing my memory. Hopefully, it will get better. Danish is in my mind, but Turkish does not come to my mind at all."