Finding “Yoyu” [Excerpt 14]
As usual, everyone was converging on the family home for the holidays. Since we had arrived in Hiroshima before Akira’s brother and his family, we mentally prepared them for Okasan’s condition.
Together, we visited Okasan in the hospital and arranged for her to be released for a few days to enjoy the New Year holiday with us at home. I think we all expected it would be her last New Year’s. She had weakened so much since summer.
Okasan stayed awake as best she could throughout her days at home. We all stayed nearby her, watching TV and chatting. We didn’t say much out loud but quietly made plans to move Okasan and Otosan to Tokyo.
Listen to the excerpt above to hear what important skill I learned during that holiday that served me through all of Okasan’s trips home.
If you missed any of the previous excerpts, you can find the playlist here.
About the book:
A few years ago, we moved my husband’s parents from a rural part of Japan to live with us in Tokyo in our tiny 800 square foot (73 square-meter) condo. My book, Finding “Yoyu,” is about what it took to decide to move them. It’s also about navigating the Japanese health care system and finding an appropriate nursing home for my mother-in-law while helping my father-in-law transition from a lifetime of farming to retirement in the big city. It’s about how we discovered he had Alzheimer’s and my husband had stage 3 colon cancer. It’s about how I managed to support these two men and keep (or find!) my yoyu all while going through a career change.
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About the Author:
Hi! I'm Marci. When I'm not writing, building websites, or coaching clients, I love walking the streets of Japan and discovering spirit in all shapes and forms. Here on the blog, you'll also get a peek into what it is like to live with and care for my Japanese father-in-law who has Alzheimer’s. Enjoy!
