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Remember Daisuke |
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TOP
NEWS
PROFILE
FUNDRAISING
DONATION REPORT |
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This is an wonderful, detailed report/message from Mana who was a great helper for the family. Originally, she put this note on facebook and this message was very very inspiring to me, and I thought that we really should share the story with you. |
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Hello everyone,
I wanted to tell you about a family I met not too long ago that has impacted my life greatly. I feel really compelled to tell their story. Thank you so much for reading.
I had been helping out a family that was here from Japan for about a month. The family name is Nakajima and the dad, mom, and son came to Gainesville. The son was named Daisuke and he was 24-years-old and had a liver disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis(PSC) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_sclerosing_cholangitis> It's cause is unknown and he was diagnosed with it eight years ago out of no where. He came to the university hospital called Shands to get a liver transplant.
In Japan, there are only 6-9 people a year who are organ donors. From the 127,000,000 people..... only 6-9. At Shands hospital alone, there are 90 organ donor bodies that come every year. So in Japan, if you need an organ, you have to go overseas to a place not familiar, away from family, and most likely pay an enormous medical bill. Either that or get an organ from a living family member or die along side family and friends. Daisuke was told he would eventually need a new liver or he will die, but his condition was pretty stable until this March when he suddenly started to get very ill. The family made a hard decision(one of many to come) to go for a cure and go overseas. |
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They are from a city called Nara, which is relatively close to Kyoto Univversity which has some of the best surgeons in the country. The family was told that there is an alumni from Kyoto University who is very skilled in dedicate transplant work(and very well known in Japan for being a great doctor) named Dr. Fujiwara at UF. So to be under his care, they decided to go to the little city of Gainesville, which is very far from Japan and which has a small airport out in the middle of nowhere. |
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However, they first had to raise money to come here. They estimated the price to be $600,000 for the whole procedure. They got a hold of newspapers, television-shows, made a website and asked all of Japan to help Daisuke get a liver. Daisuke's college and work friends are out on the streets every weekend asking for money. A little documentary is made about them(unfinished) and they even were on the YahooJapan page. Amazingly, in a 2-3 months time, they raised $400,000! With that, they were able to come to America to start with the care. |
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That was when myself and a friend, Nori, was contacted on the weekend of July 4th from a Japanese professor at UF to volunteer for the family and help them with small errands and what not. When Ifirst met the father, I remember thinking, "He seems like such a kind hearted man." He truly was! They lived in a motel really close to Nori and I so we tag teamed and took them to the super market, the mall, Walmart, etc. Nori also filled in as a translator at the hospital one day. The father, mother, son, Nori, and I ate at a Vietnamese restaurant close to campus also. I was really surprised to see Daisuke eat normally and enjoy the food.
Because the liver was already failing, his skin was very dark and his eyes were yellow. he had a tube in his nose that took fluid out of his stomach. His abdomen area was swollen and his arms and legs were quite skinny. he reminded me of one of the malnourished children in Africa. He was very smart and seemed very kind hearted. |
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They also have an older daughter and Nakajima-san told me that Daisuke was practically raised by his sister. they were so close and always together. The daughter is a hygienist in Japan and had just gave birth to a boy named Judo in March. They showed me a picture of her and the baby. The sister's smile was beautiful and so lively, as teh baby was red faced, mouth opened, and (I am sure) crying to no end. It was a very sweet picture that made you smile.
For days and weeks, Daisuke was seen by dozens of doctors to see if he was a good recipient for an organ. Apparently, a recipient has to be in critical condition, but not in a wheel chair. He needed to have potential for the future and have a positive out look on life. Daisuke fit all of those and the long journey was about to be worth it because he was FIRST on the donor list. |
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