A Doctor A Father and his son Learn English through story Level 3
story eight
a doctor a father and his son
people can find courage at the worst
times away realized
deep inside he had great strength too
kenza burrow away a writer had a job to
do
he was traveling to hiroshima to write a
story about its people for a magazine
but away’s mind was not on his work
at home in hospital his baby boy was
fighting for his life
his son was born seriously disabled
he was close to death
away loved his baby but part of him
almost wanted his son to die
life with a disabled child is difficult
away was not sure that he was strong
enough
away stepped off the train into the warm
august air
it was early morning and the city was
quiet
maybe it was a morning like this on
august 6th 1945
he thought
on that day american airplanes flew over
hiroshima and dropped the world’s first
atomic bomb
the world was never the same again
most people agree that this terrible
bomb ended world war ii
as a result many thousands of lives were
saved
but the bomb also destroyed thousands of
lives in and around hiroshima on that
day
for years people suffered and died from
terrible painful a-bomb illnesses
even today 60 years later people
continue to suffer from the results of
the a-bomb
as away thought about his son and the
terrible history of hiroshima he felt
sadder and lonelier
how could he ever find hope in this
difficult world
the next morning away walked through
hiroshima’s peace park toward the
hospital
he wanted to interview the hospital’s
boss dr fumio shigeto for the magazine
as he pushed open the hospital doors he
immediately thought of his sick son
he wanted to escape from the clean smell
of medicine quickly
but as away listened to the doctor’s
story he became more and more interested
in the problems of hiroshima
and the courage of its people
on august 6 1945
young dr shigeta was waiting for a bus
to take him to hiroshima city center
suddenly there was a bright light and a
silent wave of heat
in seconds the a-bomb destroyed almost
everything around it
buildings trees cars and people
luckily the doctor was standing next to
a strong wall and he was not burned or
killed
but seconds after the bomb his ears were
filled with the screams of people
suffering around him
his position seemed helpless
but dr shigeto calmly opened his black
doctor’s bag
and began helping the person nearest to
him
the problem was much too big for one
person
but nothing could stop the doctor
he worked bravely to stop the suffering
he did not rest for two weeks
on the worst day in japanese history
dr shigeto did everything possible for
the people around him
as away listened to dr shigeto’s story
he began to understand more about true
courage
every day a thousand people dead but
i continued the doctor explained
people can find courage at the worst
times away realized
deep inside he had great strength too
enough strength to fight for his son’s
life
back in tokyo away visited his son’s
hospital and talked seriously to the
doctors
this was the most important change of my
life he said later i began to do
something for my son for myself and for
my wife
for six years away and his family worked
hard to give their disabled child the
best possible life
they played music to him and read him
stories
we love you they told him
but little hikari could not reply
at the most difficult times away
remembered dr shigeto’s courage
it always gave him the strength to
continue
hikari loved the sound of birds singing
so away bought a cassette with bird
songs and the birds names on it hikari
listened silently to the cassette for
hours
still unable to speak
but hikari wanted to tell his loving
family i love you too
one day away was walking in a small
forest with hikari on his shoulders
suddenly
away heard a sound above him
he thought he was dreaming
it’s a water rail the voice said
away stood in silence for five minutes
then it came again
first the high sound of a bird singing
and then his son’s clear voice it’s a
water rail
hikari could speak
after all their hard work the away
family could enjoy the results
away learned from dr shigeto’s courage
and now hikari showed great courage too
the young boy loved listening to music
it was difficult for him but he learned
to read music and play the piano
slowly with his family’s help he learned
to speak too
by the age of 18 hikari was writing his
own music
and people loved it
today you can buy hikari aways music in
stores around the world
music is his language
and the love of his family helped him as
much as any medicine
we cannot imagine the fear that dr
shigetto felt in hiroshima in 1945
but millions of people around the world
face personal difficulties like
kenzaburo and hikari aways every day
away learned about courage from dr
shigeto
and hikari learned to be brave from his
father
in the same way
we can all learn about courage from the
stories in this book
when times are difficult
remember these brave people
you too can find the strength and
courage
that you need
you