19 Years Old Teen Became An Inspiration For OthersTo Fight Back And Reconstruct Her Life

Dilara Sultan Arpaci
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Dilara Sultan Arpaci

Highlights

  • Arpaci, the son of a Russian mother and a Turkish father, has scars from two separate injuries.
  • When she was four years old, the majority of her body was scorched when her dress went up in flames after her twin brother started playing with a lighter.

Dilara Sultan Arpaci, a 19-year-old girl who was brutally burned twice as a child and gotbullied at school because of her appearance, has reconfigured her life by being a top martial artist and will compete in a world championship challenge next year, having already won the highest honors in other competitions.

Previously, she was heartbroken by the death of her father, but she recovered and became stronger in her life over time. This time, however, her thoughts are consumed by her mother's diagnosisas she is facinga new challenge of assisting her mother in raising funds for cancer treatment.

Arpaci, the son of a Russian mother and a Turkish father, has scars from two separate injuries. When she was four years old, the majority of her body was scorched when her dress went up in flames after her twin brother started playing with a lighter. A kettle of boiling water on the household stove was unintentionally overturned when she was six years old, scorching the left side of her face. Shehad undergone 18 surgeries for the worst of the burns on her face and upper body by the time whenshe was seven years old. Skin from her legs was implanted to some of the most severely injured places.

She recalledthat her burn scars made her afraid to leave the house as a child. Other kids made fun of her and bullied her, turning her into a fearful recluse. She claims that her loneliness made her irritated and aggressive. Her mother urged her to try kickboxing as a way to cope with her overwhelming emotions. Her interest in martial arts grew within the span of time.

Arpaci earned a gold medal in her maiden Turkish competition at the age of ten, only ten months after taking up the sport. After a two-year hiatus, the Turkish athlete returned at the age of 12 to win the same tournament for the second time, earning her the title of 'Kick Boxing Champion of Turkey'for her age group. Sheexperimented with Muay Thai in 2017, a combat technique noted for its hard-hitting aggression. The next year, she earned the silver medal at the European Muay Thai Cup, followed by the gold medal in 2019. Then, the time came whenher mother was diagnosed with cancer. Arpaci started a crowdfunding campaign to help her mother repay a debt she took out to pay her doctors.

The condition of her mother is deteriorating day by day. She is attempting to provide her with support during her treatment. She, on the other hand, is training nonstop in order to win gold at the 2022 World Championship. Now hermain desire is for people to focus on her accomplishments as an athlete rather than the burns on her body.

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