Ahmet | Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation

For Ahmet, family is everything. He met his wife in 2011, describing her as his ultimate support system, and together they are raising three children—two boys and a girl—whom he calls his "three angels." Ahmet’s life revolved around doing everything he could to provide for and protect them.

But his world changed when he began experiencing an intermittent, sharp pain in his side. For six months, the pain came and went. Realizing it wasn't going away and knowing that this was not normal, Ahmet decided to visit his family doctor. An MRI was ordered immediately.

The next day, Ahmet received the devastating call: he had stage 4 cancer.

"I felt like it was the end of the world for me," Ahmet recalls. "I was thinking, ‘What did I do for this? I don’t deserve this. I have three kids to raise.’"

But devastation quickly turned into a fierce determination. "I'm a fighter. I will fight this," Ahmet promised himself. "I don’t know how long it’s going to go. Am I going to lose the war or am I going to win? But I’m just going to fight."

A Breakthrough in Precision Medicine

In the summer of 2024, Ahmet’s battle took a critical turn when he was referred to Dr. Alison Schram, a medical oncologist and the recipient of two Conquer Cancer grants. Genetic testing had revealed that Ahmet’s cancer possessed a rare genetic alteration known as an NRG1 fusion.

Dr. Schram was leading a clinical trial evaluating a targeted therapy specifically designed for patients with this rare genetic mutation.  

From his very first meeting with Dr. Schram, Ahmet felt a profound shift. "When I met her and her team, I felt like they were my family," he says. "They were talking to me with such care and explaining things clearly."

Reclaiming His Life

While the initial hope was simply to maintain the cancer and prevent it from growing, Ahmet’s response to the targeted treatment far exceeded expectations. Within just four months of starting the clinical trial, Ahmet’s tumors had shrunk by approximately 50 percent.

The physical transformation was immediate and profound. "I felt like I’m not sick," Ahmet shares. "Full energy, didn't lose any more weight, and my appetite came back to me. I would say it’s the best decision I’ve taken in my life. I said yes [to the clinical trial]. "

Ahmet’s remarkable recovery did more than just change his life; it changed the future for thousands of others. His response was a cornerstone of the data that led to a historic medical milestone: On May 8, 2026, the FDA officially approved the targeted treatment (zenocutuzumab-zbco) for patients with NRG1-fusion-positive bile duct cancer.

How Conquer Cancer Makes a Difference

Ahmet's extraordinary progress was made possible by the intersection of cutting-edge scientific research and donor generosity.

"The research that has been funded by Conquer Cancer has helped us understand the biology of his cancer so much better," explains Dr. Schram. "If and when he needs a new treatment regimen, we will have a better understanding of what that should be."

Every breakthrough in the lab translates directly to more time, better health, and renewed hope for patients like Ahmet.

"We do what we do ultimately to develop better therapies for patients and to get patients access to the new treatments that can really improve their quality of life and their duration of life," says Dr. Schram. "Through the funding that Conquer Cancer provides, we’re able to learn from every single patient to help develop better therapies for them and for future patients."

Thanks to donor support, Ahmet is getting back to what matters most: being a father to his three angels and a husband to the woman who stands by his side through it all.

You can make a difference for every cancer, every patient, everywhere. Donate now to help fund life-changing research and bring hope to families like Ahmet’s.