My friend is Bobby Ideishi. During my college years, Bobby and I played basketball together in Los Angeles with the Bonzo Lakers. Some of you may remember Bobby from the story that he shared in our newsletter and our web site about his experience in the World Trade Center when the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001. His article really touched me as he described in great detail the many people who tried to help him and others through this terrible ordeal. One part of his article that has had a profound impact on my life were his thoughts about possibly never being able to say “good-bye” to his wife, Susan, or ever meeting the husbands of his two daughters. Here is someone who survived a harrowing, life altering event in history, and now has a deeper appreciation for family.

Two years after the New York tragedy, Bobby and Susan Ideishi are living another life threatening situation with the health problems of their two daughters, Erin (age 12) and Jill (age 8). Erin and her team, the Venice Red Hots have enjoyed participating in the SASF Annual Basketball Tournament the last two years. Most of us did not know that for the past five years, Erin and Jill have been experiencing migraine headaches and numbness in their limbs. Bobby and Susan have taken the girls to many neurologists without any diagnosis of serious problems. It was a very insightful pediatric neurologist and a radiologist who noticed an abnormality in Jill’s MRI. Further tests confirmed a serious medical condition, known as Moya-moya. Erin was also tested and she, too, was diagnosed with the same problem. Moya-moya strikes 1 in 2 million people, and surprisingly, affects 1 in 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry, even more rare is that siblings are afflicted with the same medical condition.

Moya-moya is a condition that involves the main artery on each side of the brain becoming defective and unable to supply normal blood flow to the brain. Unless treated, the disease will eventually result in a stroke. Bobby and Susan researched the top children’s hospitals across the country and selected Dr. Neil Martin from UCLA Children’s Hospital to perform the surgeries. Both girls require two surgeries, one on each side of their brain, spaced about two to four weeks apart, to provide a bypass for the diseased artery. The procedures are risky, but if successful both Erin and Jill will be able to lead happy and productive lives.

The first surgeries were performed on October 7 and 8. Everything was going well until October 11, when Jill developed swelling in her brain, became lethargic and her extremities started to weaken. She eventually became totally non-responsive and slipped into a coma-like state. It was a very terrifying night for Bobby and Susan as the surgeon was called back in to the hospital and CT scans were ordered and Jill was rushed back into ICU. The next morning, without any warning, Jill opened her eyes, looked around and said, "Hi Mom." It was a miracle. Fortunately, Jill pulled through. The whole family is home now and on the road to recovery until the second surgery can be performed.

Through the SASF, I am setting up a trust fund for members of our SASF family to show our compassion and support for a family that is experiencing incredible real life issues. Bobby and Susan’s positive attitude and strong character will be key to a full and complete recovery for their daughters in the coming months. Bobby shared, “this experience will reemphasize the important things in life … health, family, friends, showing concern and support for others and believing.” Bobby and Susan are amazed at the courage and strength of the girls as they face the hurdles ahead. In a touching email to his friends in Sacramento, Bobby wrote, “Thank you to all of our friends in Sacramento. I cannot tell you how much we appreciate your support and concern for our girls. Your kindness at this time for my family is something we will not forget. Our girls will remember how you supported them and it will be a shining example of how they need to show concern for others even if they are 400 miles away and they might not have ever met you. It shows our youth that we have a connection with each other through organizations like the SASF and because we have a bond from growing up in the Asian American community where years could go by without us seeing each other but we are still able to call each other “friends.” Thank you for showing my girls that this is true.”

Thank you in advance for your kind assistance to the Ideishi Family. Checks should be made payable to “SASF/Ideishi Family” and sent to P.O. Box 221724, Sacramento, CA 95822. Questions may be directed to Steve Hamamoto at (916) 375-4220. If you are still interested in reading Bobby’s story on his plight in the World Center on 9/11 and one year later, see below.