proceed with caution. tw: plane crash, death, mention of covid-19, descriptions of injuries.
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¹ the aftermath of the plane crash unfolded in ways she didn't think it would. she couldn't have imagined that her parents' sudden urge to leave their life in turkey would result in one of the worst plane crashes in aviation history, only made worse when it is revealed that the plane was tampered with prior to its takeoff. as far as the rest of the world knows, there were only twenty survivors - ayla özdemir died in the mountains with her parents and the other 116 passengers. a memorial was put up, and her name is engraved into one of the walls.
² despite the many years that have passed her since the crash of 2008, she still remembers most of the details. she can remember her seat number, boarding time, what she ate, the faces of those who sat near her.. everything. the two days spent in the alps are the worst two days of her life.
³ if you are bold enough to ask her how she lost her leg, deniz will tell you that she developed an life-threatening infection from a bear attack while hiking in the great smoky mountain national park with her father, resulting in an amputation. in actuality, a piece of the plane pinned her to the ground and cut off the circulation to her leg which might've actually saved her from bleeding out of the long gash down her leg.
⁴ when she came to the united states and was given a new identity by witsec, she was adopted by a lovely couple: stephen lawson (air force veteran, current federal air marshall) and alara daymaz (a stem professor). the only two people—aside from those actively working on her case—that know the circumstances of the crash and her life before it all.
⁵ deniz skipped eighth grade and finished her b.s. in biology two years at the age of 19 with the help of ap course credits from high school, taking the maximum amount of credits per semester—including the summer and winter semesters. she took every opportunity to graduate faster, even if it meant "sacrificing" (what her friends at the time called it) her youth for a career. she finished medical school and started her surgical residency at gotham general at the age of 23.
⁶ if you ask her why she got into medicine, she'll likely tell you that her interest stemmed from being surrounded by healthcare professionals while recovering from her leg amputation. while it was a motivating factor, the driving force came from the moments after the crash. her mother was crucial to the survival of the remaining survivors, tending to them until she inevitably collapsed and died from internal bleeding—something she missed in the chaos. this event would also inspire deniz's choice in become a trauma surgeon.
⁷ gotham general was not her first choice for surgical residency programs. truthfully, deniz never would have considered it to begin with, but she was convinced to apply to gotham general's surgical residency program with the stipulation that her medical school student loans would be forgiven. the hospital was in dire need of new doctors to teach, and it wasn't like they were flocking to their doors to apply. there are a few times when she stops and thinks: was it worth it? she considers leaving, but the idea of drowning in student loan debt keeps her there.
⁸ deniz has some of the steadiest hands for surgery and was asked to consider neurosurgery for her speciality. despite the multiple recommendations from her superiors, she decided on general surgery and will follow-up with a fellowship in trauma/surgical critical care.
⁹ she has never told anyone about what happened to her, and she doesn't think she ever will be comfortable telling anyone about it. her secretive nature has become a point of tension in her relationships, especially romantic ones. her partners always feel like they can't trust her. it's either that or the long hours at the hospital that drive wedges in her personal relationships until they break. it's largely the reason why her relationship with her fiancé, eduardo arturo ortiz-vera, came to an end.
¹⁰ her first serious relationship was with eduardo arturo ortiz-vera. the two met in medical school and clicked instantaneously. for a long time, she believed that this love would be her first and last. she learned spanish to communicate with his side of the family and was loved by his parents and sisters. the two were engaged, the wedding date was set for the summer.. it all went downhill when he caught her in some lies and came to the conclusion that she was cheating on him. believing that there was no other explanation, he threw her things out of their apartment and shut her out completely. for strange reasons, she didn't try to dispel these accusations, defend her character and tell him the truth about her history. she would rather let him believe that than tell him the truth.
¹¹ hyper independent and stubborn to a fault, she does her best to convince everyone (mostly herself) that she can handle things on her own. that she doesn't need anyone, that she's content with her loneliness. truth be told, she ensured that there wouldn't be any time to slip into that overwhelming feeling of loneliness by clocking in more hours at the hospital and getting involved in research.
¹² her intern year started in 2019, prior to the pandemic. life was looking good despite no longer being engaged and being away from her adopted family. there was renewed hope for the future. she was social and generally content with the direction of her life despite feeling exhausted all the time. it was during this year when she became attached to one of the patients in her care, especially because they reminded her a lot of her late mother. when she died from a covid-19 complication during in surgery. it didn't help that patients, as well as hospital staff, were dying from the disease at an alarming rates. deniz went in downward spiral and almost left the program. this year might help to explain why she became so reserved and emotionally detached now. it reopened old wounds and brought back a lot of painful memories. it motivated her to become a better surgeon, but it also made her push everyone away.
¹³ despite years of therapy, she still fears flying on airplanes and refuses to get on one unless absolutely necessary (in which case, she has to be sedated for the entire flight). her preferred method of travel is by car, bus, or train.
¹⁴ her favorite foods include: ezogelin çorbasi, lahmacun, and fistikli baklava.
¹⁵ every morning, even before a shift, she goes jogging with her running blade. a hobby she has continued to keep up with and gives her the time to unwind.
¹⁶ her favorite fruit: apricots. she especially loves it in jam form.
¹⁷ she is the mom friend amongst her resident friends (which is funny since she's the youngest among her class/group in the hospital). she will ask you if you drank water, ate food, got enough sleep, went for a walk, etc. she will show up at your front door on your sick day (if the schedule permits) to help take care of you.
¹⁸ as of now, her schedule is something like this: 27-hour shift on monday from 7:30am to 10:30am the following day, wednesday at the same time, and thursday from 8:30pm to 10:30pm the following day. saturdays and sunday are sometimes free, but it varies. she finds herself working weekends at least once or twice a month.
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new details may be added later. gifs by tessgifs and coloring by me.
