World Cancer Day

Sometimes, life treats us unfair...


Today, as people know, is World Cancer Day.

When I think about cancer, theres two particular people who come into my mind. My Aunt Yuriko and my childhood friend's mother, Fukue.

March 2014 in Saga, Japan

I found out my aunt, who lived in Japan, had cancer back in mid-2013. She was going through chemotherapy, which meant her time was coming up soon.  When my family and I heard that, we decided to take a trip to Japan to visit my relatives, especially my aunt and my grandmother. After making the trip and spending time with my relatives for a week in the end of March 2014, on April 16th 2014, my aunt passed away.

I remember clearly the last thing she told me before I left my Uncles house during the trip was "Make sure you take care of your mother." I couldn't help it and shed tears as she laid in her bed and was getting ready for bed.


Fukue was like another mother to me growing up. My childhood friend, Brian, were on the same little league team in middle school and from then, grew up playing on the same team until the end of high school. Throughout those years, I would always go to their house and always cause trouble in and out of the house with Brian.

Looking back, I didn't know how she dealt with not just me but all our other friends that always came in and out of the house all these years.

In college, every time I visited Brian's family, Fukue would always ask me how everything is and praise me to other people in the Buddhist community that she was in.

But the one thing I'll remember is how she always had a smile on her face until the end.

I can't thank her for everything she has done for my family and I.

When I wake up every morning, I think about Fukue and my aunt Yuriko and that gives me the drive to go do the best at everything I do in life, because life is too short to just sit around and wait for things to happen.


Jun



Rest in Paradise Aunt Yuriko Kitamura and Fukue Kohrogi.