Hasan Cengiz: Bringing Hope to Villagers Through His Dreams and Heartwarming Story

It has been about three and a half years since our paths crossed with Hasan Cengiz Tuncay. Circumstances open new paths, and those paths connect us. This time, the reason was cancer, a disease that makes many of us shudder. I wanted to share, in his own words, the story of my patient, who is always smiling, humorous and naturally mature.

What Signs and Symptoms Led to Your Diagnosis of the Skin Cancer Malignant Melanoma?

First, a raised mole appeared between my shoulder blades. Since it was around 3-4 millimeters and its color was normal, I did not pay much attention. But 6 months later, it grew and became almost black.

How Did You Learn Your Melanoma Diagnosis, and How Did You Feel After Learning You Had Melanoma?

Afterward, I went to the hospital and had the mole removed. It was sent to pathology after the operation. They said they would notify me of the result by telephone after 20 days. But 20 days passed without a call. I contacted the hospital and was told we needed to come in to receive the result.

When we went to the hospital, a young female pathologist, looking deeply upset, tried to explain the diagnosis of malignant melanoma . She found it very difficult to explain. As I seemed unconcerned, the doctor tried to explain just how dangerous malignant melanoma was.

Then, when I realized how upset my wife was as well, I tried to lighten the atmosphere with jokes. Eventually, I managed to make both my wife and the doctor smile, and so my cancer story began with smiles.

In fact, I felt as though this had happened to a friend I loved dearly. I suppose my body could not cope with it any other way… So I decided to fight for this dear friend.

For him, I began searching everywhere in Istanbul for a doctor, using every resource I had. I made inquiries through all my contacts in Ankara and Izmir. Funnily enough, a friend of my wife’s in Ankara gave us the name of an oncologist in Antalya. I thought, “If he is so good, what is he doing in Antalya?” Later, another friend mentioned the same name, so I decided to meet him. After visiting so many oncologists, I had practically become half a doctor myself. At first, I planned to put him through a tough examination—to give him a hard time. But as we talked and he explained his approach to patients and illness, I decided this man was my doctor. In the end, I trusted him so much that I was certain he would do the best for my friend. I persuaded my friend to follow his advice %100 and ensured he did so until the end of the story.

What Was the Surgical Process Like? What Preparation Was Done Beforehand?

After diagnosis, a PET scan was performed promptly. Based on the PET result, my oncologist referred me to the plastic surgeon who would operate on me. At our meeting, the plastic surgeon explained that malignant melanoma was highly likely to spread to the nearby sentinel lymph node and from there to internal organs. My PET result showed a suspicious finding in the right underarm lymph nodes. During surgery, the original mole site would be cleared more deeply, and the suspicious areas in my right underarm would also be removed. We then moved quickly into surgery. My first operation was on 15 August 2014.

What Treatment Did You Receive After Surgery?

My plastic surgeon said that during surgery he had removed not only the right underarm lymph nodes but also nodules from my left underarm that he thought might cause problems, and sent them to pathology. My result arrived within 10 days. The right side was clear, but spread to the left underarm was detected. Immediately afterward, on 30 August 2014, I had another operation. I rested for about 1-1.5 months after surgery. Meanwhile, in our discussions, my oncologist told me about the interferon vaccine. He explained that it could be used for malignant melanoma patients in my situation, but its side effects were frequent, and worst of all, we would have to wait a long time to see whether it worked. Among the patients who had received it up to then, out of 10 people it helped only 3-4. He asked me to think about it for a while. As I left the hospital, my answer was clear: I did not want this treatment. But my wife was very insistent. After speaking with my oncologist again, I agreed to treatment. My interferon treatment began on 24 November 2015. It was difficult because it caused extreme fatigue. I struggled greatly with things I had previously done easily during the day. My treatment lasted 1 year.

How Was It Discovered That Melanoma Had Recurred 1 Year After Treatment, and How Did You Feel?

After using interferon for 1 year, I had another PET scan. It revealed a recurrence in my left underarm. Everything happened amid cries of “No stopping—keep going!”

What Treatment Was Given After Your Cancer Recurred?

Very soon afterward, on 30 November 2015, I had another operation with my plastic surgeon. There was no special treatment before my final operation. The necessary tests were performed, followed by surgery. After this operation, I began taking a chemotherapy pill called Temodal at a low dose. Radiotherapy started in mid-December. Before radiotherapy, my doctor informed me that I needed a small number of intensive sessions. I was told the sessions would be spaced 15 days apart, with 6 sessions in total, continuing until early March. Later, to reduce the likelihood of melanoma recurrence, I began immunotherapy that had recently started to be used for this disease, for a total of 11 cycles.

How Did You Feel About Developing Partial Paralysis in Your Left Arm After Repeated Operations and Radiotherapy? Could You Describe the Treatments You Received for Your Arm?

That was the worst part of this cancer story: the partial paralysis. I really felt terrible, but my feelings changed very, very quickly. The slogan was the same again… No stopping—keep going!.. I began following my doctor’s recommendations one by one. First came physiotherapy, and immediately afterward we went to Istanbul for lymphedema massage because we could not find it in Antalya. My wife was my greatest help here. She learned lymphedema massage there and began doing it herself when we returned to Antalya.

Ceyda Aras Tuncay has been her husband’s greatest support and motivation throughout this difficult process. They spend most of their time in their lovely home in Dutalan Village.

Despite This Challenging Disease and Its Treatments, You Are Now Living Without Any Evidence of Cancer. How Does That Make You Feel?

Of course, I am very happy for my closest friend. That is why I am endlessly grateful to my doctor and his team. I am so glad they are here…

We Know You as Someone Who Loves Nature. Can We Say This Process Brought You Closer to Nature? Could You Tell Us About Your Natural Living Journey?

Yes, it is true that I love Doğa—who would not love their son? Especially a son like mine. May God grant everyone who wishes such a child. Joking aside, my son’s name is Doğa, which means nature. I also love nature and living away from ostentation and chaos. Naturally, these feelings became even stronger after my illness.

But having too little to do can also be unsettling. That is why I decided to raise geese. Dutalan Village, where I live now, is a paradise: 1 hour from Antalya, among forests, at an altitude of 1000 meters. With its air, water, people and magnificent views, it truly is heaven on earth. I thought, why should this place be only for people? And finally, I included geese in this paradise too. I recommend it to everyone: the new year is approaching, so instead of turkey, choose goose, which is much healthier and also has deep roots in Anatolian culture :)

At my doctor’s suggestion, I began eating goose meat, and I can say it positively affected my life. First, I lost weight and discovered the energy to walk in the forest with my Kangal dogs for at least 2-3 hours each day. This area is also a mushroom paradise. During mushroom season, there were always 2 foods on my table: goose and mushrooms.

You May Be Interested In:

• What is healthy fat? Could goose fat be the healthiest animal fat?

We already grow and harvest everything ourselves. Natural eating throughout the summer, canning in the autumn… It is all our own produce. Of course, there are absolutely no pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Everything is entirely natural; what nature offers is already enough, so there is no need to seek more. Olives and olive oil from our olive trees; grape molasses, grape must and grape vinegar from our vines. Apple vinegar, sour plum concentrate, mulberry molasses, our walnuts and almonds, and all kinds of preserves from our garden are among the things we carry into winter. For years, we have not bought even 1 kilogram of tomatoes for our home. Healthy plants such as sorrel, purslane, dock, sage, thyme, pennyroyal, St. John’s wort and rose hips grow spontaneously in our garden; all we need to do is gather them.

Your Vision and Dreams Bring Hope to Villagers. Could You Tell Us About Your Natural Living Projects?

Living in a landscape like this inspires you. You also think a great deal and feel a sense of obligation. Perhaps that is exactly why you constantly think about what you can contribute to people and nature. Villagers here gather and sell mushrooms and various plants.

For example, a drying, processing and packaging facility that could add value to their products is currently being planned. This year I found a mushroom growing in cedar forests: Matsutake. In Japan, it sells for a thousand dollars per kilogram. It is a winter mushroom. There is also the very valuable morel in autumn, and we even found truffles. So we hope that simply gathering these wild mushrooms will give villagers substantial additional income.

That is actually why I increased the number of geese as well. I plan to distribute some of next year’s goslings to villagers who want them. Beyond that, I dream of natural, sustainable tourism without spoiling this place…