Halil Yılmaz, a 57-year-old construction worker from Türkiye, has endured a cascade of life-threatening events over the past four years – including a fall from a building, a COVID-19 infection, carbon monoxide poisoning, three heart attacks, a car crash and a multiple sclerosis diagnosis – yet continues to fight for a better life with determination.
Four years ago, while working on a construction site in the Şarköy district of northwestern Tekirdağ, Yılmaz fell from the third floor and was severely injured. The accident left him with broken ribs, a fractured chest, arm, neck and back, rendering him bedridden for an extended period. After months of treatment, he regained some mobility with the help of a wheelchair.
But his challenges were only the beginning.
Shortly after the accident, he contracted COVID-19 and was also poisoned by carbon monoxide from a leaking stove, which landed him in intensive care for four days. A month later, he was involved in a traffic accident that fractured his shoulder and arm. Then came three heart attacks, all of which he survived thanks to timely medical interventions. Most recently, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and spent two years confined to bed.
Now living in a wheelchair, Yılmaz has turned to adaptive sports to reclaim a sense of purpose. Encouraged by friends, he began playing boccia – a precision ball sport similar to bocce designed for individuals with physical disabilities. He now trains regularly at the Akkent Sports Hall in southeastern Gaziantep’s Şahinbey district, where he also finds a sense of community.
Yılmaz is preparing for a national boccia tournament and spends most of his time exercising and staying active outdoors. “Through physical therapy and regular training, I’ve started to move my hands again,” he said. “With the help of a walker, I can now walk about 150 to 200 meters a day.”
Despite multiple doctors in Gaziantep and Istanbul giving him little hope of walking again, Yılmaz remains committed to his recovery. “After the fall, I lost my health, my job, my money – even my home fell apart,” he said. “I was in a deep psychological slump. Now I survive on my pension. Life is a struggle, and I’m fighting to live and get better.”
He reflects on how much his life has changed. “Before, my phone never stopped ringing – I had so many friends. But after I fell, no one called or visited. That’s why I became determined. I will walk again.”
