22.02.2026 17:32
28-year-old Çilem Sağlam, who lives in Erzincan, has taken on the care of her special needs sister and brother after the death of her parents, acting as both a mother and father to her siblings. Erzincan Governor Hamza Aydoğdu also did not leave the Sağlam siblings alone. During the visit filled with emotional moments, Governor Aydoğdu promised a new home.
28-year-old Çilem Sağlam, who lives in the Demirkent neighborhood of the central district in Erzincan, took care of her 41-year-old mentally disabled sister Pınar and her 39-year-old brother Ramazan after losing her mother at the age of 8 and her father in 2023.
DOING BOTH MOTHERHOOD AND FATHERHOOD
Graduating from the Business Department of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Sağlam puts her own dreams and future in the background to take on both motherhood and fatherhood for her disabled sister and brother.
"A RESPONSIBILITY I LOVE"
Governor of Erzincan Hamza Aydoğdu did not leave the siblings alone. Çilem Sağlam, who explained their situation to Governor Aydoğdu during his visit with Deputy Governor Mehmet Emre Canpolat, Provincial Director of National Education Hacı Ömer Kartal, and Director of the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation Remzi Sarıgöl, said, "People appreciate me, but this is a responsibility I love. We were a loving family. I do what I saw from my mother and father," she said.
THEY WILL MOVE TO THEIR NEW HOME
During the emotional visit, Governor Aydoğdu instructed to improve the family's living conditions. Aydoğdu stated that Çilem and her siblings would move to a modern house where all their needs would be met by the state within 15 days. He informed that the family's needs would be regularly met by the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation. Thanking Governor Aydoğdu, Çilem Sağlam said, "Having a house was always my dream, but I had no hope. I was wondering, 'How can we get one?' I am very happy."
"LIFE TEACHES SOME PEOPLE TO GROW UP EARLY"
After the visit, Governor Aydoğdu shared on his social media account that Çilem Sağlam's sacrifice is commendable, stating, "On the third day of Ramadan, we were guests in the heart of humanity... There was compassion there. There was sacrifice there. There was the purest form of humanity there. Çilem... 28 years old. Her sister Pınar is 41. Her brother Ramazan is 39. Both are people with special needs. They lost their mother at a young age. They buried their father three years ago, just like yesterday... Life teaches some people to grow up early. Çilem has grown up that way. A business graduate... Maybe she would have built her own life, gone her own way. But she chose the path of love and compassion. She has not left the love she received from her parents half-finished. She stopped working because her sister and brother need special attention. She dedicated her life to them. While listening to the story, for a moment... Breaths were held in that room. Our throats were choked. Words lost their meaning. When we said, 'We are proud of you,' she lowered her eyes and formed a sentence that was so profound... 'People appreciate me, but this is a responsibility I love.' At that moment, we understood... Some people do not even think about the sacrifices they make. Because love is in their essence. She said one more sentence... A sentence that summarizes a family, a upbringing, a legacy: 'We were a loving family. I do what I saw from my mother and father.' A person lives what they see. They carry what they see. They multiply what they see. Her brother and sister have health problems. But there is no complaint on her face. There may be fatigue... But there is no rebellion," he expressed.