2015, June.
Dear Mimi,How are you?
How is the weather there? Did you have an Haiku party this spring?
I hope you are in good condition and everything is going well.
I’m so sorry that it took long time to reply to your letter as I had been hospitalized for artificial joint replacement surgery of my both knees and its rehabilitation. It took almost for five months. I spent whole winter for it. It was really long hospitalization to me though, thankfully, I no longer need wheelchair. I can walk!
It was April when I left hospital and has started new life in the new city since this June.
I moved the next city where there is that hospital for the rehabilitation of my knees and to continue treatment of my disease, where there are my doctors. I had been looking for an apartment room to go to this hospital more easily.
I think I was lucky.
I won draw lots of Sukagawa city municipal housing on April. Then, in these two months time passed very quickly. It has been for less one month since I have started this single life.
I was longing for it and almost gave up as too difficult to realize it. So now, after it came true, it still makes me feel unrealistic.
I have received welfare service since after I was qualified Certificate of the Physically Disabled on 2013 winter. (for arm & knees disorder).
It’s very thankful, these system helped my life so much since then. So, even I have disabilities, it made possibility to do my single life. Every two time in a week, care worker visits my room and helps my life. All service is free or very low price.
For instance, clean room, helping my taking bath, cooking, shopping, etc.
It’s one of national social welfare service for persons with Disabilities. I don’t know if there is what kind of system for such persons in America. I can say for now, it maybe good luck to me that I came back to Japan. At that time, my disease just went on. I lived there in such bad condition with less knowledge how to manage such difficult life with chronic disease and how to consult welfare service in foreign country.
I have no idea to have current life. It looked so unhappy events to me what happened two years before though, in fact truth was opposite. I can live under the roof. My life is passing in no uncertainty protected by the right of the national Law for the Welfare.
Just I feel thankful. (And sorry for there are so many people who cannot live such in the world, too. I’m thankful to born in not instability country. )
Was it a given fate to come back my country to save my life? As if my ancestors leaded me such path? I thought many time about it then I came believe it so. Perhaps, my Guardian is there by my side. At least, I believe there are good hearts of my friends all the time around me. It’s absolutely true. I’ll thank it whole my. Life.
Mimi, how is your life? Are you enjoying nice walk with Marsha? I heard news about last winter weather in Northeast America. It was about heavy snow there. And sometimes, sad news about racial issue.
You mentioned about Fukushima in your last letter, about an organization broadcasting independent news and media in Tokyo & Fukushima. I know it very much. Actually I took the workshop there to learn filming on 2012 summer in Tokyo. If my disease wouldn’t had progressed so much, I might had join it in some ways though.
Life is interesting. I didn’t think that my last half life is in Fukushmia. Most of my families are in Fukushima and they are living.
It has been for four years since the disaster.
There is an anniversary of the day of every month, as well as March 11th is an anniversary of the Great Eastern disaster. I see on the TV that people pray for it in Japan when coming 11th in each month. - What my impression is that Japan is going into poverty. It was too much big catastrophe to recovery in normal speed. It’s still taking time and money for it more than we estimated. At Northeastern Japan as well as Fukushima prefecture, thousands of residents or more (not only evacuees) have faced the situation that is anxious and depressed about their long-term prospects. Many People cannot see the futures. So mental health is getting big major issue.
I don’t know. As for me, since I was in bed in my mother’s apartment, I was full for myself how I lived each day struggling with disease. And same now. Every moment in a life, makes me awake “ Watch out! Here is Fukushima.” though, too full to live with my disease to me. I don’t know it is good thing or not. If I have enough energy to think without myself, if I had small children, the things would had gone differently?
No, I don’t know. For now, I thank my situation that I can live under the roof even here is Fukushima. That’s my life I accept.
If it would be capable to live longer, I’d like to use my energy to my family.
Mimi, please send my greeting to Marsha. I won’t forget you & her family’s hospitality when we stayed her house 2011. I thank deeply very much. Whenever coming Christmas, I remember a gorgeous diorama with beautiful Christmas ornament in Marsha’s house. That was really wonderful.
Please take care of yourself. I’m thinking of you and Marsha all the time.
(Sorry my rudeness that I cannot do handwriting.)
Warm hug & hug,
M
