Sadako Sasaki

Sadako Sasaki
Born Sadako Sasaki
(1943-01-07)January 7, 1943
Kusunoki-cho
Hiroshima, Japan
Died October 25, 1955(1955-10-25) (aged 12)
Red Cross Hospital
Hiroshima, Japan
Cause of death Leukemia
Resting place Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Nationality Japanese
Occupation Student
Website http://www.sadako-jp.com

Sadako Sasaki (佐々木 禎子, Sasaki Sadako, January 7, 1943 – October 25, 1955) was a Japanese girl who was 2 years old when an American atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, near her home next to the Misasa Bridge. Sasaki became one of the most widely known hibakusha – a Japanese term meaning "bomb-affected person". She is remembered through the story of the one thousand origami cranes she folded before her death, and is to this day a symbol of the innocent victims of nuclear warfare.

Overview

Sadako Sasaki was at home when the explosion occurred, about 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) away from ground zero. She was blown out of the window and her mother ran out to find her, suspecting she may be dead, but instead finding her two-year-old daughter alive with no apparent injuries. While they were fleeing, Sasaki and her mother were caught in the black rain. Her grandmother rushed back to the house and was never to be seen again. Subsequently, Sasaki grew up like any other girl, becoming an important member of her class relay team.

In November 1954, Sasaki developed swellings on her neck and behind her ears. In January 1955, purpura had formed on her legs. Subsequently, she was diagnosed with acute malignant lymph gland leukemia (her mother, and others in Hiroshima, referred to it as "atomic bomb disease"). She was hospitalized on February 20, 1955, and given, at the most, a year to live.

Several years after the atomic explosion, an increase in leukemia was observed especially among children. By the early 1950s, it was clear that the leukemia was caused by radiation exposure.[1]

She was admitted as a patient to the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital for treatment and given blood transfusions on February 21, 1955. By the time she was admitted, her white blood cell count was six times higher compared with the levels of an average child.

In August 1955, she was moved into a room with a girl named Kiyo, a junior high school student who was two years older than her. It was shortly after getting this roommate that cranes were brought to her room from a local high school club. Sasaki's father, Shigeo told her about the legend of the cranes and she set her goal to folding 1,000. Although she had plenty of free time during her days in the hospital, Sasaki lacked paper. She would use medicine wrappings and whatever else she could scrounge; this included going to other patients' rooms to ask to use the paper from their get-well presents. Also, her best friend, Chizuko Hamamoto, would bring paper from school for Sasaki to use.

A popular version of the story is that Sasaki fell short of her goal of folding 1,000 cranes, having folded only 644 before her death, and that her friends completed the 1,000 and buried them all with her. (This comes from the novelized version of her life Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.) However, an exhibit which appeared in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum stated that by the end of August 1955, Sasaki had achieved her goal and continued to folded 300 more cranes.[2] Sadako's older brother, Masahiro Sadako, says in his book The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki that she exceeded her goal.[3]

During her time in the hospital her condition progressively worsened. Around mid-October her left leg became swollen and turned purple. After her family urged her to eat something, Sasaki requested tea on rice and remarked "It's tasty". She then thanked her family. Those were her last words. With her family and friends around her, Sasaki died on the morning of October 25, 1955 at the age of 12.

After her death, Sasaki's body was examined by the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) for researching the effects of the atomic bomb on the human body. It was later revealed that the ABCC had also conducted tests on Sasaki while she was alive for the same reasons.

Memorial

After her death, Sasaki's friends and schoolmates published a collection of letters in order to raise funds to build a memorial to her and all of the children who had died from the effects of the atomic bomb, for example the Japanese girl Yoko Moriwaki. In 1958, a statue of Sasaki holding a golden crane was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. At the foot of the statue is a plaque that reads: "This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world."

There is also a statue of her in the Seattle Peace Park. Sasaki has become a leading symbol of the impact of nuclear war. Sasaki is also a heroine for many girls in Japan. Her story is told in some Japanese schools on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. Dedicated to Sasaki, people all over Japan celebrate August 6 as the annual peace day.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Radiation Effects Research Foundation (former Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission) "Leukemia risks among atomic-bomb survivors" Accessed 2011-10-30
  2. ↑ "Special Exhibition 1". www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp.
  3. ↑ The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki co-written with Sue DiCicco, founder of the Peace Crane Project
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