Restrictions have been placed on visits to palliative care wards because of the novel coronavirus epidemic.
I first met Takako Ishikawa on Feb. 7 in a room at Yokohama City University Hospital.
At the time, she was 50 years old and she had had ovarian cancer for eight years. Although the cancer had spread all over her body, her expression was bright and she spoke cheerfully during the interview.
That weekend, Takako was planning to go to Tokyo DisneySea with her husband Yutaka, 52. The hospital had arranged for them to go on a short trip.
The childless couple, who joined the same company in the same year, enjoyed spending time together. The amusement park was a place they often visited together.
On Feb. 9, I visited them in their hotel room at the park. The sky was dazzlingly clear. We could hear music from a show taking place directly below us. They were spending a peaceful moment together.
This was described in an article published in the March 7 evening edition. Takako said she read it over and over again. On May 12, she passed away. Four days later, I attended a memorial in Yokohama. The article was on display in the hall.
What had their life been like after that excursion?
On Feb. 17, Takako was transferred to the palliative care ward of Yokohama Minami Kyousai Hospital. "I want to cherish the time I have left," she said at the time. Her condition was relatively stable. In March the couple was able to view the cherry blossoms at the hospital.
Takako's mother, 77, visited when she had time between caring for Takako's father, who has dementia.
"I'm sorry for dying before my parents," Takako said to her mother.
"You shouldn't say that. You were a devoted child," her mother told her.
On April 2, the hospital began restricting visits due to the coronavirus epidemic. Only one preassigned family member could visit for two hours per day. "I think it should be her husband," her mother told them.
Yutaka said his heart aches when he thinks of the sadness of a mother who cannot see her child.
Mother and daughter were finally reunited on April 15, after they had switched to at-home care. However, Takako did not have much time left.
When her condition worsened she returned to the hospital. Yutaka asked them to let her mother visit instead of him, but the hospital would not allow it.
Takako saw her mother for the last time on May 9. For the last three days, they were both able to be close to Takako, who was no longer able to talk.
Yutaka said he is sincerely grateful to the hospital but he said he can't help thinking: "If only we could have had a little more time together. It should have been possible for mother and daughter to spend more time together."
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