In memory of Mina

Written by her mother Betul Mina Olcay
November 2020

Mina is our little angel. Mina was born on November 12, 2018. She stayed in an intensive care unit for 2 months. The doctors did not relay any good news for her during this time. It was the worst time of our lives. Mina was born very small. She had big eyes and long hair, a cleft palate, heart disease, corpus callosum, and many other symptoms. They told us that these symptoms were abnormal and that she had a genetic syndrome. Yes, it was the most painful and worst days of our lives. We were devastated and did not know what to do, but she was a mighty warrior. We had to be strong for her and we accepted her with everything.

Mina was one of the worst cases of Bohring-Opıtz Syndrome. She could not be fed orally, she was constantly crying and vomiting, and she would seldom be happy. She was constantly infected and in the hospital. Mina was in pain and we were all suffering. We couldn't heal her so it hurt because we loved her very much. One day, she got a fever without meaning. We thought she would be treated and resolved of her symptoms as usual, but it did not work. She could not take so much pain and so that day my Mina became an angel. The day I lost her, the day I returned home without her, was the worst day of my life. We lost her too soon. I miss my Mina very much. I miss her blue eyes and her warm smile. Our love and longing for her will never end.

I found out that I was pregnant two days after Mina died. She did not leave her mother alone while she was going. She left leaving a miracle in me. I wish she never went. She will always be with us. We love her very, very much.