VOTE FOR DR. MEHMET OZ FOR THE U.S. SENATE!
CALL TO ACTION
DEAR COMPATRIOTS OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THE USA!
VOTE FOR DR. MEHMET OZ FOR THE U.S. SENATE!
HOW DID I MEET DR. MEHMET OZ?
MAL BERISHA
In November 2001, while working for the United Nations in Kosovo, I suddenly discovered that I was suffering from an illness that could have caused immediate death. It was an aortic aneurysm that had completely destroyed the functionality of my heart’s upper valve. It was the Kosovar cardiologist, Dr. Gani Bajraktari, who, during a routine health check-up, told me:
“You are in such a condition that you could die even now in my hands. The only way to save your life is surgery, specifically replacing the upper heart valve.”
Dr. Gani, to whom I owe my life at that moment, insisted that I undergo surgery without any delay, and it had to be done at the nearest hospital.
Surprised by this unexpected diagnosis, which had arisen from a previously asymptomatic condition, I set off for Istanbul for a second opinion. There, I met my dear friends Hilmi Manço and his wife, the renowned journalist for Turkish Daily News and a distinguished friend of Albanians, Yasemin Dobra-Manço.
The medical consultation in Istanbul turned out to be even more dramatic than the one in Prishtina. At this point, surgery was inevitable. I decided to undergo the operation in New York, despite the risks posed by the long distance. The Manço couple could not convince me to have the surgery in Istanbul. Instead, they recommended the name of the world’s most renowned cardiac surgeon at the time, Dr. Mehmet Cengiz Öz, at Presbyterian Hospital in New York, part of Columbia University, with whom they had an indirect acquaintance.
MY PERSONAL STORY WITH DR. MEHMET OZ, WHO SAVED MY LIFE
Two days later, I found myself in Dr. Mehmet Öz’s clinic at Columbia University’s Heart Hospital. His secretary, Emine Hanım, a kind Turkish American lady, had already been informed of my condition from Istanbul. She immediately told me that my name had reached Dr. Mehmet Öz’s office before I did and that he would personally oversee the surgery, which would be performed by Professors Marc Warshawsky and Neloo M. Edwards.
After the open-heart surgery—or, as they say, “heart on the table” surgery—which lasted, I don’t know how many hours, I woke up to the ticking sound of a platinum valve in my chest, a sound that has not stopped since November 13, 2001.
When I “woke up,” the first person I saw in front of me, gently holding my face, was none other than:
Dr. Mehmet Öz.
He comforted me, spoke to me in Turkish and English, and assured me that everything had gone perfectly.
The next five days at Columbia Hospital were spent in Dr. Öz’s care. Since then, I have followed his career with attention and admiration. He has become one of the most successful individuals of his generation, not only in the field of medicine but also in the media and, now, politics.
WHO IS DR. MEHMET OZ?
Dr. Mehmet Öz was born in 1960. He is not only a highly renowned doctor and one of the best cardiac surgeons in the world but also a prominent figure in the American television media landscape. He is the son of Turkish physician Cengiz Öz, born in Cleveland, USA, and holds dual citizenship. To retain his Turkish citizenship, which he inherited from his father, he completed military service in the Turkish army.
In his professional career, he has received numerous awards and published a significant number of books and scientific articles. Moreover, he is known as a close friend of Oprah Winfrey, the most famous television host in America, as well as an actress, producer, journalist, author, media executive, and the head of her self-titled media network.
Dr. Öz has participated in the Discovery Channel series and holds the title of Professor Emeritus at Columbia University. The accomplishments of this American intellectual are boundless.
- MEHMET OZ, THE POLITICIAN
After all his achievements in science, medicine, cardiology, media, television, and philanthropy, Dr. Mehmet Öz has entered the political arena as a candidate for the United States Senate in the fall 2022 elections. Representing the American Republican Party, he has secured the party’s nomination and is running against the Democratic Party candidate in the state of Pennsylvania.
VOTE FOR DR. MEHMET OZ FOR THE U.S. SENATE!
As a friend of Albanians—a friendship I have personally experienced through his hands, eyes, and work as a doctor—I urge all Albanian Americans in the state of Pennsylvania to vote for Dr. Mehmet Öz for the U.S. Senate.
I assure you that we Albanians will have a special friend in the highest legislative body of the United States of America.
Vote for Dr. Mehmet Öz, dear Albanian Americans of Pennsylvania!
Mal Berisha
