From Hospital Rooms to Dreams: Leukemia Children's Week Kicked Off at the Nation's Garden

On the first day of Leukemia Children's Week, the Bizim Lösemili Çocuklar Foundation hosted children fighting leukemia and their families at the Atatürk Airport Nation's Garden. After flying drones and spending time with master craftspeople, the children sent off their wishes with "Balloons of Hope" at the end of the day.

On the first day of Leukemia Children's Week, children fighting leukemia left their hospital rooms behind for a day and met play, curiosity and new experiences. Children and their families joined the programme the Bizim Lösemili Çocuklar Foundation held at the Atatürk Airport Nation's Garden on 2 November.

The day began with a family breakfast. After competing in board games, the children took turns at the drone controller and made their first flights. At noon they toured the "Master Hands" area with their families and got a close look at the work of artists and craftspeople. The most emotional moment came at the close: the children sent off their wishes and hopes with "Balloons of Hope". The programme ended with a surprise gift draw.

Kemal Bilal Aydın, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Bizim Lösemili Çocuklar Foundation, described what the first day of the week meant for the children:

Kemal Bilal Aydın, Chair of the Board of Trustees

"Today we saw the excitement of a child holding a drone controller for the first time, eyes looking at a craftsman's work with admiration, and faces smiling with hope while making a wish. These may seem like small things to us, but for these children they are the very essence of returning to life and saying 'I can do it too'. Our children deserve to be known not for their illness but for their dreams, talents and achievements. We will be with them all over Istanbul throughout the week, and we invite everyone in society to stand by our children and share in their dreams."

The foundation's General Manager Nurkan Karabulut highlighted what the day meant for families and shared the plans for the rest of the week:

"Today our children's mothers and fathers were with them too. Families who carry the burden of treatment together played together, discovered new things together and made wishes together today. For the rest of the week we will meet our children at Haliç University on 3 November, on the Bosphorus on 4 November and in the EuroLeague stands on 5 November. We thank all our volunteers who made this day possible."

About the Bizim Lösemili Çocuklar Foundation

The work of the Bizim Lösemili Çocuklar Foundation began in 1980, and the organisation gained foundation status in 1983. The foundation provides financial, moral and psychological support to children fighting leukemia and their families.

In 1986 the foundation opened a 25-bed children's ward within the Istanbul University Children's Clinic. The bone marrow transplantation unit it established on 26 October 1989 became Turkey's first paediatric transplantation unit.

The Bizim Lösemili Çocuklar Foundation is the founding foundation of Haliç University, established in 1998.

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