Alper Kaya Strives to Raise Public Awareness about ALS and Help Patients

On 5 December 2009 Sabancı Foundation's "Turkey's Changemakers" program hosts Alper Kaya, an ALS patient himself raises public awareness about ALS and provides moral support with other patients.

Born in 1961, Alper Kaya is an optometrist who has been suffering from ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) for last 20 years. While fighting against this disease, he also strived to raise public awareness about ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), to provide ALS patients with moral support by sharing his experiences with them.

ALS is a deadly and slowly progressing disease that damages the neural system. It is also known to be the disease that Stephen Hawking suffers from.

Alper Kaya can only talk by force, swallow and move only one of his fingers. He can type on a special keyboard and thereby, he shares recent information about the disease with ALS patients. He also talks to patients on the phone and provides them with moral support.

While fighting against a cruel disease, he still strives to make a difference in the lives of other patients by encouraging them to participate in social life.

Four Walls One Window

Four Walls One Window won the "Best Documentary Film" award in the 17^th Altin Koza Film Festival. Featuring Alper Kaya, the documentary shows his one day captured among four walls and one window and aims to raise awareness about ALS disease.