Many years ago, I read a book that told the story of a Japanese doctor. His name was Dr. Takashi Nagai. I was so inspired by his story that I bought some of his books, in Japanese and English.
Do you know about Dr. Takashi Nagai? I think he's famous in Japan. The other day, I walked to a small hut （小屋) where Dr. Nagai spent his last years, after the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Dr. Nagai's wife was killed by the blast, but his two young children survived. Dr. Nagai was injured by the bomb. Plus he was already terminally ill (末期) from leukemia (白血病) even before that.
Dr. Nagai wrote the best-seller, The Bells of Nagasaki. He inspired the people of Nagasaki with hope. I was so moved (感動) to see his small room, which he named "As Yourself", which comes from the Christian rule, "You should love others as yourself." (他人を自分のように愛する)
What an inspirational person. He went from atheism (無神) to a strong faith in God (神への信仰）. And even though he was very physically weak and broken-hearted, he gave hope to many people. He helped to change the atmosphere of Nagasaki after the atomic bomb.
He was only one person-- weak and sick. He and his childretn were homeless until people built a very small hut for them to live in. And he spent the last 5 years of his life bedridden (寝たきり). Even so, Dr. Nagai is famous all over the world. When I first heard about him, it was in a book about great heroes, such as Mother Teresa (マザーテレサ), Martin Luther King Jr. (キング牧師), and Gandhi (ガンディー). Hellen Keller (ヘレンケラー) came to Japan to meet him.
Here is his hut.
And here is a video about Dr. Nagai from the Japanese TV program "知ってるつもり？"
