Miyu returns home with a smile after being away for seven months with her heart transplant operation
Miyu Kaname (middle of the back row) and her family returned home after seven months after her heart transplant operation in the United States. The cabin attendants who took care of Miyu on the plane stand on either side of the family. November 8, at Narita Airport.
November 9, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo
On November 8, 13 year-old Miyu Kaname, a 2nd grade student of Kamimori Junior High School in Urasoe, arrived at Narita Airport with her family after having been away from Japan for seven months. Diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy, she underwent a heart transplant operation in the United States. Miyu looked rather tired after the long flight, but walked with steady steps, saying, “I am happy that I can run again.” She travels with her family to Osaka for a medical examination in Osaka University Hospital before going back to Okinawa on November 15.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for all the support I have received,” said Miyu with a bashful smile. She said “I want to meet my friends who spent time with me in the hospital in Okinawa and I also want to go back to school soon.”
Before the operation, aspects of her daily life were very restricted, for example, her lips turned blue just after running a just a little, “Now I can run without struggling the way I used to,” she said, mentioning that she wants to start playing tennis again. She has also tried yoga as a part of her rehabilitation program during her stay in the United States.
She has resumed a normal diet except for raw food such as sashimi, and some fruits. Her father Toshiaki Kaname was concerned that the dietary limitations may stunt her growth, but she has grown three centimeters in height since the operation. The people who welcomed her back at the airport were pleased to see that she is growing well.
Her father said, “I am relieved to be back in Japan, and now I would like the people of Okinawa to see my daughter’s happy face.”
(English Translation by T&CT, Shinako Oyakawa and Mark Ealey)
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