"I Will Watch Over You"

On Monday, December 27th, 2010 at Torrance Beach (Los Angeles area), I met Chiyoko, a warm out going 65 ish woman who had barely survived a severe stroke.

Starting 30 years ago, Chiyoko began entering Southern California Marathons and looked forward to each of them as she would bring her then 3 year old son with her, babysat by others. Over the next 16 years this 4 foot 10 inch tall bundle of energy got into top physical condition and she was pleased her son sometimes also ran with her as he grew older.

Then on January 24th, 1996 suddenly she lost most feeling on one side of her body. Those around her wanted to call the 911 emergency line and rush her to the hospital, but Chiyoko was a strong independent woman, always the caregiver, and believed this would pass.

It didn't and as she could no longer stand up she was rushed to the hospital. There her stroke was diagnosed and she became largely bed ridden for days. But in that hospital room was a second bed, occupied by a woman who also was seriously ill. Chiyoko being a caregiver pushed herself out of bed and hobbled over to help this woman when no other help was available.

One day, this woman had a visitor who said, "Let's pray for Chiyoko." But the woman replied, "She doesn't need our prayers, her father is a minister." Chiyoko's father had been an Okinawa police officer and she desperately wanted people to pray for her.

"After all I'd done for her," Chiyoko said, "I was deeply hurt. Why would she say such a thing?" But as Chiyoko forgave her, the long ago comforting words of her father came over her. "I will watch over you," he had often told his frightened daughter when she was a child living in war ravaged Okinawa following World War ll.

And as his words returned to her, Chiyoko began to recover. And she has taken comfort in those reassuring words ever since. Today, she walks regularly and walks in 10-k's. Her son lives 400 miles away in Oakland and keeps in touch, sometimes visiting his mother. He also joins her in some of those 10-k's.

Chiyoko is husky, weighing perhaps 130 pounds on that 4 foot, 10 inch frame. And she walks along the beach with a smile as bright as sunshine, greeting passersby with a glow. For she is thankful for the precious gift of life and can't contain herself from expressing it. "But I wish someone would pray for me," she added softly. And I took her left hand in my right hand and as we faced the ocean in the direction of Okinawa, we silently prayed together.

Dick

Note: To protect her privacy, I changed her name to Chiyoko, a traditional Japanese name similar to her real one.