One thousand origami cranes

An ancient Japanese legend promises that those who fold a thousand origami cranes will be grated a wish by the Gods. Many believe that you’ll be granted eternal good luck, such as a long life or recovery from illness or injury. It’s not surprising that the crane is considered a mystical and holy symbol in Japan.

It is this legend that prompted a young girl, Sadako Sasaki, to start the endeavour of making one thousand cranes herself.

Sadako was only 24 months old when she was exposed to the radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II. She developed leukemia. After spending a lot of time in hospital, at the age of 12 she began to make one thousand cranes.

Eventually, Sadako became too weak to make any more cranes and passed away October 25, 1955 after completing only 644. In her honour and memory, Sadako’s classmates worked to complete the rest of the cranes.

Today in Japan, people leave origami cranes at a statue of Sadako in memory of the departed spirits of their ancestors.

This story was the inspiration of the peace cranes you see in this photo.

Over 100 family members and friends gathered at the North Bay Regional Health Centre on August 31^st for the Celebrating Life Memorial Reception to remember and celebrate the life of a loved one. This reception honours individuals who have passed away and whose families chose to make donations to the Foundation, in their memory. During their time of grief and sorrow, they decided to help others by ensuring your hospital can provide the best possible care, close to home.

This year, family members honoured the memories of their loved ones, by placing origami cranes in glass bowls, just as they do in Japan.

Every year, new names are added to the Celebrating Life Memorial wall, located by the hospital’s gift shop. These names represent individuals whose families, friends and loved ones honoured their memory with donations in excess of $2,000.

In the last year the Foundation received over 1,020 memorial/tribute gifts, these gifts will leave a lasting memory of your loved one and lasting impression on your community.