Secret Harvests by David Mas Masumoto

Author:David Mas Masumoto
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781636280783
Publisher: Red Hen Press
Published: 2022-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Thus I have heard.

PART SIX

INITIATION

20

Family Letters

February 4, 2012

Dear Sugimoto Family,

Greetings and a belated Happy New Year. 2012 is the Year of the Dragon and already a rather wild year is unfolding. Some of you may recall that the Sugimoto family had a sister who became separated from the family.

From what I understand, as a child she was severely injured by meningitis, which resulted in significant intellectual disabilities. But she stayed with the Sugimoto family until relocation. She was not allowed to travel to camp and was tragically transferred into state custody.

She has been in state institutions ever since then. Aside from a rumored brief contact following camp, no one was able to keep in touch with her.

A week ago, I received a call. Shizuko Sugimoto, born in 1919, is now in a hospice program at a facility in Fresno. I went to go see her—she is not well. Very, very frail and weak. She is mentally unresponsive but is constantly shifting her body and moving her legs. She is very emaciated. However, she is alive. It was nice to “find” her after all these years.

Since her condition warrants hospice, she will probably not live long. A few days? A few weeks? No one knows for sure. We are in the process of arranging cremation and any end-of-life arrangements.

So I wanted to let everyone know about this “found” aunt and sister! This is not a call to rush to Fresno (although it would be fun to see relatives!). Shizuko is unresponsive and bedridden.

When she passes, I will try to coordinate some sort of memorial service, probably for an upcoming weekend. Again, this is certainly not to obligate anyone to attend—after all, I’m not sure if any of the cousins ever saw this tiny woman. I will let as many of you as I can know about details. Please share this with all the cousins and family.

It is a wonderful story of lost and now discovered family. A goal is to reunite her with her father and mother and her siblings at the Mountain View Cemetery. A fitting final resting place for a sister, no? She can claim her spot with family.

So be well. We should celebrate this reunion.

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