3-year-old child received 2.5 years of chemotherapy due to misdiagnosis

A health scandal that makes one say 'this is unbelievable' has occurred between Gaziantep and Adana. Buğra Koç, the son of Hatice and Süleyman Koç, who live in Gaziantep, suddenly fell ill in 2021 at the age of 3.

Despite all the tests performed on 3-year-old Buğra, whom the family rushed to the hospital with complaints of persistent high fever, a clear diagnosis could not be made.

RECEIVED 2.5 YEARS OF UNNECESSARY CHEMOTHERAPY DUE TO MISDIAGNOSIS

Finally, the family, who applied to two separate state hospitals in Gaziantep and Adana, was told at the hospital in Adana that the child had hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and that they needed to start chemotherapy immediately.

Following the doctors' diagnosis, chemotherapy and cortisone treatment were started for little Buğra, who was 3 years old at the time.

During this process, the young boy's hair fell out due to the treatment and medication, and he began to gain excessive weight.

FAMILY FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST THE DOCTORS

After approximately 2.5 years of treatment with no signs of improvement, the couple Hatice and Süleyman Koç applied to a private hospital in Adana.

Following extensive tests at the private hospital, it was determined that little Buğra was suffering from systemic JIA, also known as inflammatory rheumatism, and that his treatment consisted of an injection that needed to be administered every 2 weeks.

His mother, Hatice Koç, who stated that they went through very difficult times, received unnecessary chemotherapy, and were on the verge of a bone marrow transplant, said they have filed a complaint against the responsible doctors.

''FIRST THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING, THEN THEY STARTED CHEMOTHERAPY WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF HEMOPHAGOCYTIC LYMPHOHISTIOCYTOSIS (HLH)''

Struggling to recount the difficult days they experienced, mother Hatice Koç said, "In 2021, there wasn't a private hospital in Gaziantep we didn't go to because of his high fever. We stayed in each of them for a week. During those stays, all the professors came to us and said, 'We cannot lower the child's infection, there is something else wrong with your child.' We went to a state hospital in Adana. They said they would take fluid from his spine and the results would take up to 2 months. They gave us cortisone treatment. We returned home. Everything was fine. Then the child started to swell. At the end of two months, when we went to our doctor, we were told there was nothing wrong with our child. We returned home in good spirits.
Exactly 10 days later, the same complaints started in the child again. We called Adana, they told us to bring the child, so we did. After that, they told us there, 'We need to start your child on chemotherapy immediately.' They said our child had a disease called hemophagocytic syndrome, and they even said, 'I wish he had cancer instead of this disease.' We were shocked. My husband and I were devastated when we heard this. We stayed in the hospital for another 15 days. We received the first 2 doses of chemotherapy there. Then we continued the treatment at a state hospital in Gaziantep. For exactly two and a half years, my son was given chemotherapy and cortisone treatment. The child changed completely."

''A TRANSPLANT WAS GOING TO BE PERFORMED FOR NO REASON''

Stating that the treatment for the disease was a bone marrow transplant and that they were on the verge of a transplant due to a mismatch during this process, Hatice Koç said, "The doctor said that if a bone marrow transplant was not performed, we could lose our child. We started the screening process. The mother and father were not a match. We were told, 'Take whoever you have among your relatives and have it done in Adana; if he has another attack, we will lose the child, the only solution is a transplant.' Afterwards, we couldn't find a suitable marrow. We abruptly finished our treatment here after two and a half years, but there was no improvement."

''IT WAS UNDERSTOOD AT THE LAST HOSPITAL WE APPLIED TO THAT HE HAD RHEUMATISM''

Stating that they finally applied to a private hospital in Adana during this process and that the correct diagnosis was finally made, Hatice Koç said, "We went to a private hospital in Adana. I'm glad we did. When the doctor on duty at that hospital examined our child, he said, 'There is something else with this child, I will not perform a transplant on this child,' and kept him in the hospital for 40 days. He investigated everything about the child. I never forget that day; they called a specialist doctor around 5 o'clock to investigate. Then he told us, 'There is nothing to fear with your child, your child only has inflammatory rheumatism, also known as systemic JIA.' I told him that my child had been receiving chemotherapy and cortisone drugs for 2 and a half years. The doctor there turned to me and said, 'Unfortunately, our doctors confuse them.'"

''INSTEAD OF A VERY SIMPLE TREATMENT, THE HEAVIEST CHEMOTHERAPIES AND CORTISONES WERE ADMINISTERED TO MY CHILD VIA SPINE AND VEIN''

Stating that they went through a very difficult process and that their child received unnecessary chemotherapy as a result of a misdiagnosis, mother Koç said, "My child was misdiagnosed. I hope no mother, no father, no child experiences what I experienced, what my child experienced. My child was at the age to play, and we were in hospital corners. He received treatment he shouldn't have; it turns out his real disease had a vaccine treatment. Now I go every two weeks and have my child's vaccine done, that's it. Instead of this, the heaviest chemotherapies and cortisones were administered to my child via spine and vein. My child used the cortisone given to corona patients."

''WE ARE FILING A COMPLAINT SO THAT NO ONE ELSE EXPERIENCES WHAT WE DID''

Stating that they have filed a complaint against the 3 doctors in Adana and Gaziantep who caused them to go through difficult days by making a misdiagnosis, mother Hatice Koç said, "For two and a half years, we were devastated both financially and spiritually, especially spiritually. I mean, we went through very bad days. We are just now starting to recover. Thank God he is well now. We are currently receiving treatment for rheumatism. We have filed a complaint against the doctors so that what is necessary is done. Our lawyer is handling it now. We have made our applications to the necessary places. We will not let this go. If I had listened, they would have performed a bone marrow transplant on my child. We went through very bad days. I don't want anyone to experience the same situation."

News Source: İHA