I was born in 1982, in a village in Kayseri, Turkey. I was the seventh of nine children, and have two younger sisters. We lived in poverty. I didn’t have a school bag until I was 11 and started 4th class. The family moved to Antalya in 1993, because my father was working there. Moving to Antalya changed our lives. My older brothers were able to find permanent jobs. And so, year by year, our economic situation improved. I had the chance to carry on with my education, whereas my six older siblings had finished at primary school.
I was a clever guy and graduated from school with high Honors. After my exams, I was accepted to study at the prestigious METU (Middle East Technical University) in Ankara. In 2006, I graduated and began managing exports for an international floristry company.
Then, in 2007, I began a master’s in European Studies (Germany) at Akdeniz University. It was on 24 August that year, at 08.30, that it happened. A minibus crashed into me as I was making my way to my lessons. I was in a coma for three months. And when I woke, I learned that I’d been paralyzed from my neck to my toes. I can move my head, talk, eat and show facial expressions. But that is it.
