Turkish boy meets with Greek donor after unique transplant

In a rare cross border stem cell transplantation, a now 4-year-old Turkish child, who clutched onto life after a crucial operation two years ago, has reunited with his Greek donor in Athens.

Commemorating a touching instance of solidarity, Çağatay Dramalı, along with his family and physicians, took the trip to the Greek capital upon the invitation of his Greek donor Aleksandros Apostoludas.

The two came together at an event organized with the objective of promoting stem cell therapy there, adding even more meaning and significance to the occasion.

This reunion marked the first time the two individuals became acquainted with each other in real terms due to the international regulations prohibiting the patient and donor from meeting for two years.

Former Greek Prime Minister Lukas Papadimos, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, and Turkish Ambassador to Athens Çağatay Erciyes, who welcomed Dramalı and his family at the embassy prior to the organization, were among the participants at the event.

Turning this precious event to an even more intriguing occasion, Cihan Dramalı, Çağatay Dramalı’s father, noted that his ancestors emigrated from Drama a century ago during the population exchange between Türkiye and Greece.

“My grandfather's mother gave birth to him as soon as she stepped off the ship when she arrived at Bandırma. We have Greek roots, which is why we acquired the surname Dramalı,” he explained. Their surname Dramalı means “from Drama,” in Turkish.

Cihan Dramalı expressed his happiness at his return to Greece in this sense, underlining that he now considers Apostoludas as “a brother.”

“This [donation] is a really sacred thing. All of us in good health must contribute,” said Hande Dramalı, the mother. “We were fortunate. We might have been in serious difficulty right now if we hadn't been able to find a donor. We are happy.”

The donor Apostoludas, on the other hand, emphasized that he was also as pleased as the boy’s family.

He noted that he was ecstatic to receive the news that he could donate to Çağatay Dramalı after giving his first blood sample about eight and a half years ago.

"Words cannot adequately explain it. I'm feeling so overwhelmed that I'm at a loss for words,” he said.

Emphasizing the importance of supporting initiatives that promote stem cell transplantation, the former prime minister Papadimos also marked the event as both “informative and full of emotion” in his remarks to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

“This demonstrates the unrestricted capacity of such occasions to motivate individuals to lend a hand to one another,” he said, referring to the heartwarming moments of Dramalı and his donor meeting on the stage.