Today, I saw a tremendously colorful rainbow I’d ever seen. It was on my way to the funeral of Mr. Y.

Last September, I received a call from Mrs. Y, speaking in a desperate voice. She said her husband’s doctor had advised him to go to a hospice because he was in the terminal stage of cancer. In response, I suggested that she take him home and let me give him acupuncture treatment. During the last three months, I witnessed many dramatic scenes, reminding me of the genuine nobility of human life.

No matter how much he suffered, he looked at his wife and muttered to me, “I feel sorry for her,” again and again. In the middle of December, he wanted to ask me a question. “Is it all right for me to die now?” I answered, “Each second of your life is so precious. Try to do your best to live as long as possible, for yourself and your wife….” “I understand. Your words penetrate my heart,” he responded with a smile on his face.

Mr. Y had no pain anymore, and was able to talk. There was no problem in his vital signs. Just a few days before his death, I advised him to declare a victory over cancer. Everyone smiled.

Then, on the day before his death, he very seriously thanked me. “Ms. Hashimoto, you should know how much I feel grateful to you!” His words penetrated my heart. The next morning, the varix burst open and he vomited a lot of blood. But he did not lose consciousness and could even speak. When I visited him again the same evening around 9:30, he passed away, having his hands being held by his wife. The 30th of December 2011 became an unforgettable day for me.

Mr. Y’s courageous fight against cancer to the last moment of his life makes me think that it was a brilliant life as represented by the wonderful rainbow I saw today. His face told me it was.