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Passing this along. Please take a few minutes to read and consider helping.

Hello Everyone

My name is Rebecca Carrington and I am a 5th year ALT in Kumamoto City. A few weeks ago we received an email from a former Kumamoto ALT, Ben Miller, asking if we could help a little girl in Sendai as she needed to raise money for a heart transplant. Thankfully they were able to collect the money needed.

Today I am writing to ask your help for the exact same reason but for a girl right here in Kumamoto City. Her name is Misato and she is a student at one of my schools. Below is her story. Please take a few minutes to read it through and give what you can.

My teachers and colleagues are frantically trying to raise this money and have made great progress so far. I believe ALT’s as a group have enormous power and we can help her on her way.

Thank you

Rebecca.

Misato lives in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. She is currently a 6th grader in Nagamine elementary school. Just over two years ago Misato’s mother passed away but she was determined to stay positive and live life to the full. She joined the school volleyball club and, like most little girls, she was always smiling and running around.

Just a few months after her mothers’ death, Misato suddenly collapsed during a P.E class at school. She was admitted to the Red Cross Hospital in Kumamoto where they carried out tests and examinations but were unable to determine the cause of her collapse. She gradually regained her strength and returned to school and the volleyball club.

Less than a year later however, she had collapsed again. She was admitted to the intensive care unit where they realized the problem was with her heart. She received treatment and medication to prevent her heart failing again. In May 2009, she returned to school but was re-admitted to hospital just two months later. She has been at the hospital since and remains so to this day.

In order to survive Misato needs a heart transplant. This is her one and only hope of survival. Her case was referred to a heart centre in Germany and they have accepted her case. However her family cannot apply for health insurance in Germany and so they need to fund the cost of the operation and all other expenses themselves.

The total cost of this is expected to be around 82 million yen which is about $820,000.

Item / Unit (yen)

Debojitto / 39,000,000

Reserve Fund / 10,000,000

Artificial heart / 12,000,000

Travel expenses / 14,500,000

Accommodation / 5,000,000

Naturally Misato’s family and friends want to do all they can to help her but this is an enormous sum of money. An aid meeting for Misato was set up at her school this month and fund raising activities are now starting. We are determined to reach our goal and raise the money needed.

How can you help? With recent events in Haiti it was amazing how people all over the world come together to help each other. Things like this give us hope. If you can help Misato’s cause in any way or want to find out more information please visit her website

http://misato-chan.net

Rebecca Carrington
Assistant Language Teacher
Nagamine Elementary school

***Edit***
The family has reached there goal and is no longer accepting donations. Thanks for your time and support.