Diabetes Meeting a Hit, Thanks to Nichi Bei Weekly

Note: This letter was sent in response to “Nikkei and Retirement to Discuss Diabetes on Feb. 27 at the JCCCNC” from Feb. 25, 2010.

Dear Editor,

Nikkei and Retirement thanks the Nichi Bei Weekly for the article on the diabetes meeting we sponsored last Saturday, Feb. 27, at the JCCCNC. It was a very well attended meeting thanks to your article.

Dr. John Umekubo, an internist with a practice located in Japantown, was the presenter and did an outstanding job. He stated that diabetes is spreading like an epidemic among Americans and that Japanese Americans are among the most vulnerable. This is a disease like high blood pressure that is very hard to detect in early stages and requires tests in a doctor’s office for diagnoses. Once diagnosed, the patient has 95 percent of the responsibility for careful monitoring and management of the illness to prevent serious complications. There are no super medicines which will make it go away.

Nikkei and Retirement wishes to thank Dr. Umekubo for taking the time and effort to make the Japanese community more aware of diabetes.

Nobusuke Fukuda
San Francisco

Bamboo Memories

Note: This letter was sent in response to a Feb. 4, 2010 letter to the editor by Florence Hongo of San Mateo, Calif., who was responding to Ryan Tatsumoto’s “A Plant for All Seasons” column from Jan. 28, 2010.

Dear Editor,

In the last edition, a lady wrote a letter commenting on her family’s bamboo plot. It brought back memories of my plot of bamboo that I had in my backyard. I enjoyed cutting the takenoko and giving it to my Japanese neighbors.

Ard K. Kozono
Sacramento