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Sadako SasakiJapanese girl, victim of the Hiroshima bombing
Date of Birth: 07.01.1943
Country:  Japan |
Content:
Biography of Sadako Sasaki
Sadako Sasaki was a Japanese girl and a victim of the Hiroshima bombing. Born in 1943 in the midst of World War II, Sadako lived in the city of Hiroshima, Japan. When the atomic bomb exploded in the sky over Hiroshima in 1945, Sadako's family lived less than two kilometers away from the epicenter. Despite being very young at the time, she likely did not understand the true magnitude of the event. However, in the 1950s, she was diagnosed with leukemia, and she understood the implications of her condition.
The Tragic Story of Sadako
Sadako Sasaki grew up as a cheerful and active girl, attending school and living a seemingly normal life. However, at the age of 12, she began experiencing symptoms such as tumors on her neck and behind her ears. It was the beginning of the end, and the adults who had survived the Hiroshima bombing knew it. Sadako's once energetic and lively self began to tire easily, and during a school relay race, she collapsed and could not get back up.
In February 1955, Sadako was admitted to the hospital, where doctors gave her a maximum of one year to live. By the early 1950s, it became clear that the increased occurrence of childhood leukemia was a result of exposure to the atomic bomb. One day in August 1955, Sadako's best friend, Chizuko Hamamoto, visited her in the hospital and brought some origami paper. Chizuko showed Sadako how to fold paper cranes and shared the legend behind them. According to the legend, if a sick person folded one thousand paper cranes, they would be granted good health.
The Legend of the Thousand Paper Cranes
Sadako embarked on the task of folding one thousand paper cranes, firmly believing in the beautiful tale and the possibility of her miraculous healing. She found herself in constant need of more paper, folding cranes from any paper she could find in the hospital. However, as her illness progressed, Sadako became weaker and made fewer and fewer cranes. In the end, she was only able to complete 644 before passing away on October 25, 1955.
After her death, Sadako's family and friends joined forces to complete the remaining 356 paper cranes, making a total of one thousand. The story of the brave girl who fought for her life until the very end touched the hearts of millions of people worldwide.
At Sadako's funeral, thousands of paper cranes filled the sky, and the young Japanese girl became a symbol of the rejection of nuclear weapons. In 1958, a statue of Sadako Sasaki was erected in Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park, funded by donations from all over Japan. The stone statue portrays the little girl holding a paper crane in her hands. At the base of the monument is a plaque with the words, "This is our cry. This is our prayer. For building peace in the world."
A similar monument dedicated to Sadako was also established in Seattle's Peace Park in the United States. Several books have been written about young Sadako, with the most famous being "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr, published in 1977. The book has been translated into numerous languages and adapted into a film.
Today, the paper crane has become a universal symbol of peace around the world.
