Ganbare!! Let's Save the Children of Tohoku!
Updated with a comment from Dr. Toyoshima
Updated with a comment from Dr. Toyoshima
April 7
From flowerbossa:
Dr. Toyoshima had kindly given us his express permission to repost his article. In this short time, many BYJ fans have already given their support by giving donations, gifts and warm comments on his blog. He said that comments are always appreciated by the babies' families and medical staff, so please do not hesitate to show your support. AND please feel free to leave a comment here on my blog in any language you choose!
豊島勝昭先生のブログ 「ペ・ヨンジュンさんのＮＩＣＵ訪問から１年！がんばれ！小さな生命（いのち）たちよ」より
From Dr. Katsuaki Toyoshima ‘s Blog
“Ganbare!! Chiisaki Inochitachiyo
( Fight!! You Precious Small Lives”)
2011/4/5This is Katsuaki Toyoshima of Kanagawa Children's Medical Center's from the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)
At the out-patient clinic, I heard a little girl’s voice calling “Sensei~ (doctor)" so I turned around. It was the (adjusted age) one year old Chii-chan’s older sister came running towards me. Chii-chan herself and her mother ran to me too.
Chii-chan was born 4 months early, weighing a bit more than 600g, and was on the brink of death as she fought for her life in the NICU. Dr. Tanaka and I attended to her. Her big sister was “a good strong girl” waiting outside the NICU, while her mother tended to the baby. She seemed to like me from then. I’m trying to recruit her saying “ I hope you get to know this hospital even more and come back to work here when you become big girl.”Many of the so-called overworked pediatricians and nurses had the experience of coming to hospitals when they were very young, accompanying their sick siblings. And through watching their parents and medical staffs, they often come to desire to work in this field. Some may take pity on these children for having to live with a sick brother or sister, but on the other hand, you may say that they are privileged to have had the opportunity to know what “kindness” and “care” is all about.
Now, Chii-chan is beginning to walk, but a year ago, she was still in the NICU.
She is the baby that appeared on TV, when Bae Yong Joon-san who as introduced in the “24 Hour TV” charity program etc. donated incubators to us, and had come to our hospital to show his support to the patients.
Tomorrow will mark a year from then. I think I never imagined that Japan will be hit by an earthquake a year ago.
With encouraging events like BYJ-san’s visit to our medical center, I think I had a vague feeling of a bright future that the situation of NICU would improve.
When he came to visit us, BYJ-san went around to see each baby and their families, listening intently to what they had to say and gave them strong encouragement.
When I asked him “ why did you make a donation to the NICU?” the following was his answer:
“Children are the future for all of us”.
Last year he had donated to the NICU, but this year he has made another contribution appropriate for the particular situation (the recent earthquake). I truly felt that he is a serious and kind person.
His words, “giving incubators to the children is about all I am able to do…” also left a strong impression on me.
I told him, “I am grateful for your donating these incubators, but what I would appreciate even more is that if your fans in Japan who are many in number, will observe your behavior of doing what you say you can do, and if that will lead to their support for NICU and the children in the medical centers, that “heart” will be a far greater gift then an “object” such as an incubator. This is something I also told Shuuichi Murata-san of the Yokohama Bay Stars (baseball team) who contributed to the “Kyuji Kikin 救児基金 (save the children fund)”.
If any of you Bae Yong Joon-san’s fans support the objective of our fund, we would appreciate it if you would make a donation for the sake of the children.
The size of your donation does not matter. To have as many people as possible come together to show they care, the babies, the families and medical staff who are doing their best even in the aftermath of this disaster will be greatly encouraged.
On Bae Yong Joon-san’s incubator, there is a gold plate as seen in the photo. It seems that it gives much encouragement to parents and grandparents of the babies who are Hallyu fans.
When the infants’ temperature is low, we use an incubator which is box-shaped, but once their temperature is stabilized, we change it to an open-type incubator which resembles an open car that has a removable lid.
It is a high performance incubator which has the capability of adapting to the child’s growth and temperature, and one incubator can function as two of them. In the future, Japanese NICUs may not be able to obtain many of these types.But I am ready for the reality that we are entering an age that the issues we faced before the earthquake “we don’t have enough NICU beds, facilities, staff…” will not be easily solved after this disaster.
A year ago, I felt that “no matter how hard we try at the medical center, we don’t have enough things, oh someone do something about this”… But having experienced the earthquake I think I have strongly come “to appreciate the things we have and that things we have left, rather than cry over what we do not have”.
In this age when the economy will probably decline, the enhancement of NICU will no doubt be difficult, but I am reaching a conviction that I will not give up.
By thanking what we have, being grateful for the warm thoughts of the people who are willing to support us, making the most of what we have and what is left… Even if we do not have more in “quantity”, by improving the “quality” we can unfold our own ability to the fullest. And a feeling is building in me that no matter what the circumstances are, I want to save the children of Kanagawa Prefecture. We too will do our best, so we hope that together, each of you in your own way would support the medical care that will protect the children who will be taking on the role of reconstructing our country. May we ask for your understanding and support?Dr. Katsuaki Toyoshima, Neonatal Division, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center
神奈川県立こども医療センター 新生児科 豊島勝昭
(translated by flowerbossa)
"Pray for Japan" icon by makishi-nim, arigato!!
Information on the Fund in Japanese:
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/nicu_sp25/8524991.html
Yong Joon-ssi with children at the "HOHOEMI PROJECT" Charity Event in Dec. 2010.
Super child actor Mana Ashida reciting a poem in the "HOHOEMI PROJECT" event at Tokyo Dome, Dec.2010
The two stars meeting backstage!
Children of Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture singing "Sekaiju-no-Kodomotachiga"
"Children of the World"
Mock Hill Records has also launched their own aid project. They will donate the whole amount from the sales of this CD (includes this song in the video-my friend Toshihiko Shinzawa-san wrote the lyrics!) to the Japanese Red Cross Society. This project will continue till they sell out 150 records (or until the end of April). I already got mine! IT'S GREAT! For details: http://mockhillrecords.com/shien.html
