Kumiko

Over a year ago I returned from a six month trip around Europe and Asia. The last stop was a visit to the land of the rising sun, my home for three years. During my three years in Japan I came in contact with some of the most incredible people in the world, quiet literally, as I met people from Europe, Australia, all over the States, New Zealand, Africa, Canada, the Middle East, South America, and obviously Japan.
The family that was of the most influential during that time was the Itou family. Kumiko-san was the mother of the family and a living example of the person I would someday like to be.
I spent countless hours with this family and I am proud to call them my Japanese family.
Upon my return to America I received a call from Yu-chan telling me that Kumiko was diagnosed with cancer. Having lost my own father from cancer the news hit me hard. Somewhere in between my visit in Canada with Maureen, another friend from Japan, and the visit from Karen and Tricia, Kumiko lost her fight with cancer.
It’s hard to describe the difficulty of dealing with the death of someone who was such an impact on my life. It was almost as hard as losing my own father.
However, after months of processing, I consider myself a very blessed individual. Many people go a lifetime without having one such person in their life, whereas I have not only these two, but a few others who are still alive and well. It is my hope that I will honor the memory of my father and Kumiko by striving to be the type of people they were while here on earth.
Kumiko, you will be missed and I cherish the fact that I was able to spend those two weeks with you while in Japan.