Name: Devran Sürmelioğlu
Age: 25
Where do you call home? Turkey, Hatay
Education: I am a primary school graduate, did not continue.
Who do you live with? My Family - my mom, dad and little brother :)
What's a typical day for you? I literally listen to different music every day and play games on the phone to pass the time.
How long have you known you are living with FA? It's been 15 years. I was in the hospital every day, it was really hard, I saw 6 -7 doctors on the same day for diagnosis.
Are there any others with FA in your family? In the FA family, my younger brother is 12 years old now.
Meet the Community
You are not alone. The entire FA community, also known as the FAmily, is taking this journey with you. Meet a few of our dynamic people with FA below. New Meet the Community interviews are posted every Monday, so be sure to visit often. Please e-mail
FARA Ambassadors
The FARA Ambassadors are a group of people living with FA who are committed to supporting FARA in the search for a treatment and cure. They represent the community by speaking at events, meeting pharmaceutical partners, giving media interviews, and more.
Meet the FAmily!
Devran Sürmelioğlu
- Details
- Category: Meet the Community
Rebecca Parisi
- Details
- Category: Meet the Community
Name: Rebecca Parisi
Age: 30, 31 in May
Where do you call home? Northern IL.
Education (degree(s): I have my Associates Degree in Business, and a Medical Office certificate. I have been looking for remote work from home.
Who do you live with? My husband and 2 kids.
What's a typical day for you? I’m a stay at home mom. Each morning I get my daughter ready for kindergarten, she takes the bus there. Then it’s me and my 4 year old son home all day.
Jessica Hawley
- Details
- Category: Meet the Community
Name: Jessica Hawley
Age: 29
Where do you call home? Chicago Suburbs
Education (degree(s): I am currently in my final semester of my MBA with an emphasis in Healthcare from West Texas A&M University. My undergraduate degree is in healthcare administration. I will finish my MBA in May of this year. I currently work in the product/tech side of CVS, assisting the building of pharmaceutical protocols. I plan to use my higher degree in order to move into high roles relating to my current position. I absolutely love my job and the company I work for.
Who do you live with? Currently I live with my oldest sister, her husband and their daughter. My black lab (who I am absolutely obsessed with) is also with me. :)
Morgan Talevich
- Details
- Category: Meet the Community
Name: Morgan Talevich
Age: 33
Where do you call home? Opelousas, Louisiana
Education: College. Certified in billing and coding.
Who do you live with? I live with my husband and three children. I am a stay at home mom and routinely go to the gym twice a week and physical therapy and occupational therapy twice a week.
Jakub
- Details
- Category: Meet the Community
Name: Jakub
Age: 43
Where do you call home? Czech Republic
Education: I have a PhD degree and I work as a researcher at the university. FA keeps me from working in the lab, however I like mathematics and programming, so I can do a lot of things for others – some advanced mathematical evaluation of experiments, numerical simulation, simple apps. Despite FA I still feel like a valuable member of our research team.
Who do you live with? I live with my wife, we have two children: daughter (14) and son (10). We have two black cats.
What is a typical day for you? I wake up early, after a “morning recharge” (cold shower, exercises) I transport to work. My wife helps me to walk from the car. I have an office on the second floor, so it is 63 stairs. I have to hold the banisters and it takes about 8 minutes, but “use it, or lose it” – it’s just the next exercise. I have the keys to lift, but I use them only if I feel really sick. I am sitting at the computer at work, but I exercise every hour. After midday, I eat my first meal. After work it is time to use the lift, the way downstairs is more difficult than upstairs. At home, I do what is necessary, or I do something with the children, or I just rest. After dinner I am going to sleep. During weekends I usually do not exercise, I rest, or we have some family program (trips, games, some work in the house or in the garden, etc.).
