Sadako Sasaki

Sadako Sasaki was young when she passed away and she still had many years to live. She had hope and faith, her leukemia didn’t stop her. She did her best to complete the race, but then fainted after she had won. Although she knew it was almost her time to go, she decided to stay happy and hope, just hope and believe you can do this.

My hero is Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was born in 1943 in Hiroshima, Japan. She was a very happy and fit child. When she was only two years old a war was going on and an atomic bomb was dropped. When Sadako was eleven years of age she was picked as a runner competing in a school race. She was very happy to be picked and wanted to start practising right away. While Sadako trained and trained she started feeling pains and very weird. The days past by and soon it was the day of the race.

Sadako did her very best, she had won the race, but she collapsed after winning. Sadako was rushed to hospital and when she woke up she had found out she was diagnosed with atomic bomb disease, leukemia. Family, friends and teachers soon found out the news and one day Sadako’s best friend, Chizzuko told her the legend of the one thousand paper cranes. If a person desired a wish, they had to fold one thousand paper cranes and then the Gods would grant them a wish. Chizzuko made one crane out of a gold piece of paper and Sadako continued.

Day after day Sadako was getting worse and the patients around her were starting to as well. No one got better and no one left the hospital. One day Sadako met a little boy in hospital who was also diagnosed with leukemia. Sadako tried to convince him to fold one thousand paper cranes, but the little boy thought he was going to die soon, he had no hope. Her mother bought a silk kimono for Sadako to help her feel better. Sadako had folded only 644 cranes and she soon passed away on October the 5th 1955. No one was happy and her classmates had decided to finish of Sadako’s one thousand paper cranes. Her classmates had an idea; they wanted to build a monument in memory of Sadako Sasaki.

Sadako is my hero because unlike the little boy in the story, she had hope. She believed that she could finish folding her one thousand paper cranes; even though her dream wasn’t fulfilled Sadako did her best. She knew that one day life would come to an end, but she didn’t want it to end now. Instead of being negative and giving up, she kept on going. Doing all this she is now remembered as a hero to many.

Sadako and Jesus are alike in a way. They both had hope and tried to help others in believing in not only themselves but positive thoughts. They both had a rough time. Sadako was put through the whole agonising pain of leukemia and dying at a young age. Jesus was put through a painful death as well. They are both a sign of peace.

To this day people fold one thousand paper cranes and send them to Hiroshima, Japan, to the Peace Park where Sadako’s statue is and on the statue it quotes "This is our cry, this is our prayer; peace in the world."