Struggling father builds wooden physiotherapy tool for son in central Turkey

NİĞDE

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A father living in the Central Anatolian province of Niğde has built a physiotherapy tool from wood to try to treat his son, who is suffering from cerebral palsy, due to financial difficulties.
 
Furkan Çakmak, 40, followed videos on the Internet to find out how to make physiotherapy tools at home using wood and iron, in order to help his eight-year-old son Ali İhsan walk better. 

“With good physiotherapy, my son could get better,” Çakmak said, adding that his only wish is to see Ali go to school.

“We’ve been struggling for Ali İhsan’s treatment since his birth. We were able to pay for his therapy until he was four years old, but then we weren’t able to do so,” he added. 

Although his son’s treatment could be carried out abroad, Çakmak said this was impossible for the family due to financial restraints. 

“We wrote to the presidency’s communication center countless times. We also tried to reach some ministers and deputies. But couldn’t get a result,” he said, adding that he has been unemployed since July 2016.

“I also spoke to the Erasmus University in the Netherlands for my son’s treatment. They told me they could treat him there but asked for a letter of reference and a financial situation report. But in Turkey we couldn’t get this. We are now left desperate and without solution. The cost of therapy last year was 200,000 euros,” he said.

“Because the state doesn’t provide the tools for this treatment, I decided to try to make them myself. But they are nothing like professional treatment,” Çakmak added. 

As for his son, Ali İhsan himself said he “only wants to walk, run, go to school and have friends.”