A sudden change in a happy university life

Both Sato’s father and grandfather were Waseda graduates, so naturally she had wanted to attend Waseda since she was a child. She had also been interested in cheerleading for a long time. Therefore, when she became a cheerleader at Waseda, it was a “dream come true” for her.

She was happy with everything until the October of her second year, when she started feeling a regular pain in her right ankle. Two months later it began to hurt even when she was not doing anything. She thought it could be a “fatigue fracture.” However, the doctor explained that it was a serious illness and no matter how well the treatment went she would have to have the leg beneath her right knee amputated.

She recalls how thunderstruck she was to hear those words.

The treatment began and she suffered from the severe side-effects of the anti-cancer medicines she had to take. They made her feel weary and nauseous. Her family and friends supported her through this difficult time. She was especially delighted when fellow cheerleaders gave her 1000 origami cranes with messages written on each crane. It made her determined to overcome the illness and go back to school, where her friends were waiting. She was also encouraged by friends at the hospital. “Although we were all having a hard time, we talked about cheerful things and promised each other never to give up.” For her, “friends” may have been her special cure.

Sato becomes a top athlete!

After she recovered and left hospital, Sato quickly returned to school. However, she was worried about her future and her leg. Longing to escape from this miserable situation, she began swimming, which she had enjoyed when she was in elementary school. She wanted to challenge a higher goal, so she began participating in competitions.

Through swimming, she met Junichi Kawai, who was also a Waseda graduate, and a gold medalist in Paralympic Games swimming. Because they both had great affection towards Waseda, the two of them became friends quickly. Kawai was a positive person who eagerly followed his dream and he changed Sato’s outlook. She says “Inside, I was negative about my disability but he made me look at other things.”

Thanks to persuasion from friends and family, Sato began track and field events as well as swimming. It normally takes 2 to 3 years to run well with an artificial leg, so she could not run well immediately but she practiced hard. Sato continued to participate in both activities and when one competition was over she would set a new goal. She especially practiced track and field events hard and succeeded in qualifying for the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games.

After she had come back from Athens, there were times when her record did not improve and she was nearly disqualified as a representative for the Beijing Paralympic Games. However, she did not give up, and worked harder, telling herself, “I will go to Beijing!” She says “With the old me, I might have given up if there was no improvement but now I believed in my potential.”

And last March she broke her own record and jumped 4m 46cm in the Long Jump at the Kyushu Challenge Track and Field Events Championship Tournament. Her strong will enabled her to come this far and made her a representative for the Beijing aralympic Games.

Things that she learnt through her illness

Being ill meant being unable to eat and speak properly. She experienced being in a situation that could prove fatal, and was eager to live as she watched people close to her pass away. Through this experience she learned to appreciate everyone and everything that had been supporting her. “When I began to feel really thankful, I felt as if I was much closer to my dreams and true happiness than I had ever been.” Sato valued what she had learned and made it her source of energy.

When she actually came to receive her artificial leg, she felt as if she had been given a mission. She smiles gallantly while saying, “At work, I meet children and sometimes I tell them about my experience. When they learn something from what I’ve told them it makes me happy. I could have been happy without my illness but now I am competing with the world through sports and I have encountered some wonderful people. I am sure I can live a good life and I look forward to every day.”

Her present goal is to achieve a good result in Beijing. Please cheer for her!

■Profile
　 Born in 1982 in Miyagi Prefecture, Kesennuma City. Graduated from Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School and entered Waseda University School of Commerce in 2000. While at school she was a Cheerleader in the Waseda University Cheerleading Club. However, in December 2001, she discovered an osteosarcoma in her leg and in April 2002 she had the right leg amputated beneath the knee. After rehabilitation and treatment, in January 2003, she began to participate in sports events. She entered “Suntory” in 2004. In September 2004, she jumped 3m 95cm in the Long Jump at Athens Paralympic Games and came in 9th.

In March 2008, breaking her own record and jumping 4m 46cm at the Kyushu Challenge Field and Tracks Championship Tournament, she qualified for the Beijing Paralympic Games, which will be held this September.

At the moment, she is working in the planning and management of “education for the next generation program” with the “Kids’ Program Promotion Team” at Suntory Ltd.

■Mami Sato’s blog
http://blog.livedoor.jp/mami_sato/
http://sato.thestadium.jp/