Support to Fight Against Pompe Disease from Uğur and Nurten Tatlıcı

The deceased businessman Salih Tatlıcı’s wife Nurten Tatlıcı and their son Uğur Tatlıcı have
added a new one to the organizations they support and donated to the International Pompe
Association – IPA, which fights against Pompe Disease, one of the rarest diseases in the
world.

Together We Are Strong

Regarding the donation, “My father, Salih Tatlıcı, who is known for his philanthropic
personality, used to say, ‘It always gives me peace of mind to help those in need.’ He always
encouraged my mother and me to help those in need with his giving heart. With this
sublime feeling that our beloved father instilled in us, my mother and I have taken it as our
duty to support people and their families struggling with Pompe disease, which is little
known in our country and the world but can be devastating and deadly. We will continue to
support.” Uğur Tatlıcı said.

International Pompe Association–IPA

IPA is an international organization based in the Netherlands fighting Pompe disease
worldwide. IPA also functions as an international federation that gathers associations and
institutions from different countries under one roof to help Pompe patients and their families.

Pompe Disease: Pompe disease is an inherited disease that is rarely seen in the world at a rate
of 1 in 40 thousand. Pompe disease, which has a low awareness in the world as well as in our
country, is a fast progressing, wearing, and often fatal muscle disease and occurs as a result of
the deficiency or absence of the enzyme called acid alpha glycosidase (GAA). The excessive
accumulation of glycogen in the cell, which occurs due to the lack of this enzyme, causes the
disease by spreading to the healthy muscle tissue.

Consanguineous Marriage is an Important Factor: Consanguineous marriages are an
essential factor in Pompe disease, which is a genetic disease. It is also suggested that Pompe
disease, which has a low awareness rate in our country even among physicians, may be more
common than is known due to the high incidence of consanguineous marriages in our country.
For this reason, a national database search has been started in our country for Pompe disease.

The donations and aid projects mentioned here were made with the personal income of the founders of our Foundation, Nurten Tatlıcı and her son Uğur Tatlıcı, in memory of the late Salih Tatlıcı, the benevolent person whose name continues to live on through our Foundation and whom they bid farewell in journey to eternity in 2009.