The 8th Changemaker of the 10th season of the Sabancı Foundation Turkey’s Changemakers program is the Living with Allergy Association, which works to fix wrong information known as correct in the face of a widespread disease like allergy that negatively affects the health and daily lives especially of children, and to create solidarity and awareness in society.
Allergy, which in our society is thought to be just a simple sneeze or itch, is a person’s immune system showing an extreme reaction and a series of symptoms to stimuli that it isn’t normally supposed to react to, such as food, medicine, dust, dust mites, pollen, chemicals, metal and the sun. Even though the exact number is not known, according to research, one in four children in Turkey is allergic. Some show extreme sensitivity to dust, some to a plant and others to some food.
When Özlem Ceylan, who started to share her experiences under the name Allergic Mother on social media, saw others also experienced problems like hers, she founded an association with 16 families with allergic children. Its name is Living with Allergy Association.
The Living with Allergy Association operates to defend the rights of allergy patients, to communicate their problems to the relevant authorities and to find solutions together. The association also aims to provide psycho-social support to families with allergic children and to raise the awareness of society on allergic diseases. The association, along with the Kartal Municipality, also owns a daycare designed specifically for allergic children for the first time in Turkey.
The association works for all allergic patients, starting with children. Families with children who have allergic symptoms also stated that there was an observable change in their children after the association was established.
The Association, which was founded by 16 families with allergic children coming together under the leadership of Özlem Ceylan, has supported the awareness of thousands of families. It has increased the life quality of allergic children and their families. It has made a huge difference in the lives of both children and families struggling with allergy.
Date: 01.02.2019 (Season 10 - Episode 8)
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