I called her back and she told me, ‘There was a really big earthquake here. I reached out to everyone, everyone’s OK, only our cousin is under the rubble, but they’re trying to get her out. Don’t worry, everyone’s OK.’ And that was the only thing I heard from my extended family until the next day because phone lines were down, so I couldn’t talk to them. That was the only thing I heard and that’s how I learned about it. I couldn’t speak to my parents on the phone for two days.
EDINBURG — On the night of Feb. 5, UTRGV women’s basketball senior center Burcu Soysal received a phone call from her cousin in Turkey, the country she was born and raised in before moving to the United States to play college basketball at 17 years old.
Keeping in touch with her family in Turkey was normal, but there was something different about this call from home. It was at an hour when her family in Turkey should have been sleeping.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey near Soysal’s childhood home in Hatay where her parents and extended family live. It was followed by aftershocks that included another 7.5 magnitude quake.
“I called her back and she told me, ‘There was a really big earthquake here. I reached out to everyone, everyone’s OK, only our cousin is under the rubble, but they’re trying to get her out. Don’t worry, everyone’s OK.’ And that was the only thing I heard from my extended family until the next day because phone lines were down, so I couldn’t talk to them,” Soysal said. “That was the only thing I heard and that’s how I learned about it. I couldn’t speak to my parents on the phone for two days.”
More than 45,000 people died in the disaster and homes like the one Soysal grew up in, and her family lives in, were destroyed in a matter of minutes.
Her family was stuck in their building for 45 minutes, unable to escape because of walls that came crashing down. An aunt had to be pulled out from underneath a wall that had fallen on top of her. Their door was blocked by rubble so they had to kick holes through another wall to force their way out.
Her cousin was trapped in the rubble with her husband and stuck for nearly 10 hours before they freed them from the devastation. Soysal’s family thought she was gone, but 20 minutes after the second earthquake of 7.5 magnitude hit, her cousin’s voice answered their rescue calls while searching for her. Her cousin was in a state of shock for weeks after the disaster.
“Thankfully my whole extended family is OK. When I heard about the stories, what my family went through, it was very terrifying,” she said.
I just wish I could go back home right now and just be there and comfort them, but I know that’s not what they want. They want me to just keep going and don’t worry about them. Everything was very, very hard for me.
Soysal left her home at 13 to pursue a basketball career, which led to starring on Turkish Under-16 teams and being named a member of the Turkish National Team. After two years of playing at Massachusetts, she transferred to UTRGV in 2019 and has spent the last five years in the Rio Grande Valley. Basketball opened the doors for opportunity, but it also made Soysal miss home over time.
“For years, I had this thing where I didn’t want to be away from my family, then especially after this happened, it just made me feel terrible about it because I can’t be there for them and I don’t know how to help,” she said. “I just wish I could go back home right now and just be there and comfort them, but I know that’s not what they want. They want me to just keep going and don’t worry about them. Everything was very, very hard for me.”
After learning about the earthquake that Sunday night, or early Monday morning in Turkey, Soysal and the UTRGV coaching staff agreed time off would be best for her as she pushes through a traumatic situation.
She started hanging around practice after three or four days, and the next Monday, suited up for her first practice back since the earthquake devastated her home where her parents live in Turkey.
Immediately after practice, Soysal’s emotions surfaced.
“The first day of practice on Monday, it was very tough to focus and right after practice I had an emotional breakdown because that’s all I was thinking about,” she said. “I’ve been (playing basketball) for so long, I need to focus on what I’m doing in the moment, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do and take care of that stuff after.”
One of the people who has helped Soysal deal with the emotional aftermath is UTRGV women’s basketball assistant coach Ipek Turkyilmaz. She was born and lived in Turkey until 2006 before playing college basketball and becoming a coach in the U.S. She was also a member of the Turkish National Team from 2002-03.
She always showed me her love and support and she’s basically my family, too. I love her hugs. She gave me hugs every time. Even though it didn’t affect Coach T’s city, it’s still very, very hard for her too and every Turkish person got affected somehow – emotionally, physically, financially – so it was very nice that Coach T was here.
Turkyilmaz’s hometown of Izmir wasn’t affected by the earthquake, but she lived in Adana while playing basketball, an area that was significantly impacted by the earthquake.
“Dealing with this reality, it was very difficult. At that point, it wasn’t about Xs and Os. This was real life and I just wanted to be there with Burcu and if she cries, we cry together, we hug and talk,” Turkyilmaz said. “The one thing I’m thankful for is Burcu’s family is alive because you can’t really find whole families still alive or families that didn’t have their homes destroyed. … I can’t imagine losing everything. Life there is not back to normal. People are not able to work, people are not able to go to school.”
The whole team was there to support the player they call “Bu,” but having an assistant coach to lean on from Turkey who knows Soysal’s family and lived in the area was crucial to finding comfort.
“She always showed me her love and support and she’s basically my family, too. I love her hugs. She gave me hugs every time,” Soysal said. “Even though it didn’t affect Coach T’s city, it’s still very, very hard for her too and every Turkish person got affected somehow – emotionally, physically, financially – so it was very nice that Coach T was here.”
This is Soysal’s last year of eligibility as she prepares to graduate with a degree in kinesiology. The UTRGV women’s basketball team honored Soysal along with three seniors on Senior Night against Sam Houston on Feb. 25 at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.
The three seniors were escorted by their families onto the court for photos prior to tip-off, and Soysal walked onto the court with Coach T on one arm, her boyfriend on her other arm and his parents behind them.
One of Soysal’s dreams was of her parents walking onto the court with her on her senior day. But with all that happened in the last month, her dream didn’t come to fruition.
After pictures, however, attention was directed to the video board inside the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Her parents appeared with a loving video message for their daughter on her senior day that caught her by surprise.
“At that moment, I started crying right away. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, I was just super emotional to see them there,” Soysal said. “What’s crazy is I was talking to them before the game and I was like, ‘Oh, I wish you guys were here. This is one of my dreams.’ My mom was telling me, ‘We’re everywhere. We’re always there with you.’ My dad was like, ‘We’re going to be there with you.’ I’m thinking, ‘Yes, they’re in my heart all the time’, but it was very emotional to see them and I always feel their support and love with me, so it was very nice to see them.”
This summer, I couldn’t go back home because of my Visa situation, so it’s hard to be away, but at the same time, people down here in the Valley and my teammates support me and my second family is here in my team and coaches. They support me a lot and were there for me when everything happened and I really appreciate it.
Soysal’s family moved four hours away from where their home was completely destroyed by the earthquake and are living in a rental. They’ve rented until June, but don’t know what will happen after that, as the city and building they called home turned to rubble. Lost in it all are pieces of Soysal’s childhood and family belongings.
UTRGV women’s basketball director of operations, Victoria Peña, who played high school basketball at Edinburg North, started a GoFundMe to help Soysal’s family in Turkey.
“It’s hard. It’s not easy at all to be away from my family for so long, especially these last two years,” Soysal said. “This summer, I couldn’t go back home because of my Visa situation, so it’s hard to be away, but at the same time, people down here in the Valley and my teammates support me and my second family is here in my team and coaches. They support me a lot and were there for me when everything happened and I really appreciate it.”
To donate to the GoFundMe to help Soysal’s family, visit www.gofundme.com/f/turkey-earthquake-relief-for-soysal-family.
