Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s Brings Japanese Experience to Stage 4 Cancer Patient

Healthcare workers at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children'sturned a wish into a reality for a 21-year-old patient hospitalized with stage 4 osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.

Diego Cruz told his healthcare team that his lifelong dream was to travel to Japan, which got Child Life Specialist Joanne Ordonothinking.

"Because of his physical condition, he can't travel, but I thought, 'Why not bring Japan to him?' And that's what we did," Ordono said. "We brought both traditional and contemporary Japan to his hospital room."

Thanks to the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo, Cruz had a traditional Japanese experience, starting with a tea ceremony performed by a tea ceremony master. Cruz sipped from a ceremonial bowl filled with matcha tea while the master chanted.

Next, a calligrapher brought out his ink and brushes to create a traditional calligraphy scroll that reads, "May your wishes come true." The calligrapher also helped Cruz write the Japanese character for "strength."

Then, a musician played and sang traditional Japanese ballads describing the four seasons.

Cruz, an anime fan, also received gifts from local shop Anime Station. Of course, no cultural experience is complete without food, and Cruz was able to taste mochi and Japanese cheesecake for the first time.

A visibly emotional Cruz took pictures with all his guests and his family members and fought back tears as he expressed his thanks.

"All the years that I've had chemotherapy, I missed out on all the things I wanted to do in life," Cruz said. "While I saw others living a normal life, I'd be here in the hospital. I never thought I'd be able to do these things, so thank you. It means a lot to me."

Ordono said the afternoon reminded her of the essence of healthcare.

"Obviously, taking care of the patients medically and clinically is super important, but we're treating the whole person," Ordono said. "It's the emotional and the mental health that is also important, and I believe we got to bring a little bit more joy to this patient today."

Read more from Discoveries: Innovation and Collaboration in Pediatrics at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's

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