A Real Version of the Story of Sadako and the Paper Crane

It all began with the folding of a single paper crane. Tightly creasing seams fold after fold and the final fold and crease, to then hold it up and say, I did it! I was teaching myself from a diagram how to fold a paper crane and the first clumsy bird was finished. It took me forever. I realized that if I was to be able to fold a paper crane without barely looking at it while telling the story of Sadako and the Paper Crane I would need quite a bit of practice. ( Sadako and the One Thousand paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr) More paper , more practice crane after crane. I folded at school subbing when I had study hall duty, I folded in church after we sang the anthem, I folded in the morning and I folded in the evening.
Tellabration time 09 rolled around and my Veteran's Salute Tellabration ( storytelling celebration) was to be the day I unveiled my talents as a origami Paper Crane folding master!

I had folded so many cranes by then and was so busy at work our naked Christmas tree stood in the family room sporting nothing but the bare bulbs. It stood that way for days and the inspiration hit, paper cranes for the tree. Then my folding concentrated on two colors gold and red foil. Crane after crane dropped into the plastic shopping bag. All the while I thought of the story of Sadako and the Paper Cranes and when occasion warranted I would share the enduring tale, the legend and the little girl who tried so hard to fulfill its prophecy as she battled cancer post her hometown Hiroshima WWII bombing. www.informeddemocracy.com/sadako/howtofold.html

Christmas came, and on this year my daughter was not battling cancer it was in remission. The day dawned bright and clear and the tree glowed like some department store showpiece. It developed its own aura and shimmered in the light. The collection of family ornaments never made it out of the attic in 2009, instead we honored all who fight cancer and a legend and a story.

Now it is your turn. 10 year old David Heard of Easton, Pa. Is folding paper cranes. He needs thousands of them as the legend says. He has decided to decorate the five wards of the hospitals where he has received treatment for his terminal stage 4 Neuroblastoma. David is folding cranes, his family folds, his school and yet the goal of 5000 has not been met. You can help David see the 5000 Cranes fly high over the cancer centers by sending some paper cranes to:

The Heard Family

130 W. Lafayette St.

Easton, Pa. 18042

Information on David's plan came from the newspaper feature article by Devon Lash in The Chronicle Album Section 11/20/10 distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.