Name: Şeyma Öztürk
Age: 23 years old
Where do you call home? Denizli, Turkey
Education degree(s): Post Graduate Education/ Be an academician and being the first academic FA patients in Turkey.
Who do you live with? I’m single, no kids. I’m living with my family.
What’s a typical day for you? I wake up, have breakfast, have a rest, watch the series on the computer, read books, sleep.
How long have you known you are living with FA? I was 12 years old, and under the control of a doctor at Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir, the tests were performed because they suspected FA.
Are there any others with FA in your family? As far as I know, there are not.
Describe your transition from walking to walker/wheelchair. At 9, my falls gradually increased. My balance control is down. So after a while, I decided that I needed a wheelchair. I always thought of the worse ones. I’ve been thinking about the opportunities this has given me. I don’t expect a passport check at the airport. I enter the museums free of charge. I can’t deny that there are good things that this situation brings to me.
What do you like to do to stay active and what type of exercises work for you to stay strong? Physical Exercise-Pilates.
Do you have any hobbies or special interests? I like to read and research mythology. I love to spend time with my friends.
What is a good trick to make daily life easier? Dreaming
When FA gets you down, what do you think/do to feel better? I think of those in worse situations than me.
What is one way living with FA has POSITIVELY affected your life? FA has made me stronger in this life.
What is a favorite motivational quote of yours? I’ll dance if I can’t walk. -Frida Kahlo (I even got a poster in my room.)
What is the best advice YOU could give to a person who has been newly diagnosed with FA? Please do your exercises all along. This will have a positive effect on your life.
What is the first thing you want to do when a cure/treatment to FA is found? I want to go abroad with my friends.
“I have FA, but FA doesn’t have me.” What does this statement mean to you? How do you live your life in the face of adversity? This disease can’t control me because I beat it in all kinds of ways. I have a beautiful family. I have beautiful friends. I can handle every problem.
Tell us a little more about you….I’m a happy person. I have dreams. I have goals, and I want to achieve them. Crying for nothing is not the solution. I understood this very well in the process.
Interview by
Chelsea Conley and Camila Primavesi