Aya Kitō
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was a
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
diarist. She wrote about her personal experiences living with
spinocerebellar ataxia Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) is a progressive, degenerative, genetic disease with multiple types, each of which could be considered a neurological condition in its own right. An estimated 150,000 people in the United States have a diagnosis of s ...
which was later published in the book '' 1 Litre no Namida''. The book has been translated into many languages and millions of copies are said to have been read around the world, and has also been made into a
2004 film 2004 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, notable deaths and film debuts. ''Shrek 2'' was the year's top-grossing film, and ''Mil ...
and a 2005 television drama series from
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in which
Erika Sawajiri is a Japanese former actress, singer, and model. After starting out as a junior model, Sawajiri transitioned to acting in 2002 and has starred in ''Break Through!'', ''Shinobi: Heart Under Blade'', and ''1 Litre no Namida (TV series), 1 Litre of ...
portrayed Kitō.


Early life

Aya Kitō was born to Shioka, a nurse, and her husband Mizuno, an office worker. She was the oldest of five siblings, the other four being Ako, Hiroki, Kentarō and Rika. At the age of 14, Kitō started writing a diary. From the age of 15, after her diagnosis, she used it to record her experiences, including her symptoms. At the age of 15, in her third year of junior high school, she complained of frequent falls and other physical problems, and was examined at Koseikai Hospital. Later, doctors diagnosed her with spinocerebellar ataxia, an intractable disease that gradually deprives a person of freedom of limbs and speech and eventually causes the loss of all motor functions of the body. Her friends helped her with climbing the stairs or walking, but it became harder for them and especially Kitō, so she went to a school for disabled people. Until the age of 25, Kitō's health continually worsened, and she was eventually unable to complete daily tasks ( ADLs). She eventually became confined to her bed, and was unable to walk or speak. Kitō had the incurable disease for 10 years and experienced both emotional and physical pain, which was subsequently stressful to her family as well. Her family, however, continued to support her for the remainder of her life.


Death and legacy

On 23 May 1988, at 0:55 a.m., Kitō passed away only two months before her 26th birthday due to the debilitating effects of progressive spinocerebellar ataxia and the ensuing
uremia Uremia is the term for high levels of urea in the blood. Urea is one of the primary components of urine. It can be defined as an excess of amino acid and protein metabolism end products, such as urea and creatinine, in the blood that would be nor ...
due to organ failure. Her body was donated for medical research. Her mother, Shioka, later published a book titled ''Hurdles of Life'' in which she wrote about her memories of her daughter. Kitō's diary, entitled ''1 Litre of Tears'', which she kept until she lost the use of her hands during her battle with the disease, was first published in her native
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
on 25 February 1986 by a publisher in
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, two years before her death at the age of 25. Shioka convinced her to publicize her diary in order to give hope to others since Aya had always wanted to be able to help people. The book received a great response, especially in Aichi Prefecture and other parts of the
Tōkai region The is a subregion of the Chūbu region and Kansai region in Japan that runs along the Pacific Ocean. The name comes from the Tōkaidō, one of the Edo Five Routes. Because Tōkai is a sub-region and is not officially classified, there is s ...
, and was published in
bunkobon In Japan, are small-format paperback books, designed to be affordable and space saving. The great majority of ''bunkobon'' are A6 (105×148mm or 4.1"×5.8") in size. They are sometimes illustrated and like other Japanese paperbacks usually ...
form by
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in February 2005. As of 2006, the book has sold more than 2.1 million copies, making it a longtime best seller. At the end of the book, Professor Hiroko Yamamoto of
Fujita Health University is a private university at Toyoake, Aichi, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, w ...
, who was Aya's doctor, contributed a retrospective, and the bunkobon edition includes a postscript by Shioka describing Aya's final days. In October 2011, Professor Hirokazu Hirai and his research group at
Gunma University , abbreviated to , is a national university in Japan. The main campus is located in Aramaki-machi, Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture. History Gunma University was established in 1949 by integrating the national colleges in Gunma Prefecture: , , ...
announced that they had elucidated part of the mechanism by which spinocerebellar ataxia develops in mouse experiments.


References


External links


FA Publishing
- Original publisher of ''1 Litre no Namida'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Kito, Aya 1962 births 1988 deaths Japanese diarists Women diarists 20th-century Japanese writers 20th-century Japanese women writers 20th-century diarists