Through the magic of Turkish society connections, Duygu was able to get me seen by one of Istanbul’s eminent surgeons, Dr. Orhan Åžahin at Erdem Hastahanesi. He was excited to use some expensive orthoscopic equipment to fix up an inguinal hernia that had been increasingly bothering me.
Duygu’s mom, Saadet, and her friend Halise came by to check in on me after the surgery. I came to while they were there, but was a little groggy for my first meeting with ‘mom.’