EDITOR'S NOTE: There was a strict protocol not to treat the victims!
When the the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, 15-year-old Do-oh Mineko was working inside a Mitsubishi factory, eagerly awaiting her lunch break. The massive concrete and steel factory imploded on top of her and thousands of other adults and young people. Doh-oh sustained severe injuries, including a large gash at the back of her head, burns, and glass splinters that remained embedded in her body for the rest of her life. Over the next few months, she developed the symptoms of acute whole-body radiation exposure, including the loss of all her hair, which did not grow back for 10 years. Ashamed of how she looked, she stayed hidden inside her house for years.
When Do-oh was 20, new hope appeared at her door. It was 1949, at the time of year, she remembered, that “the persimmon fruits started to develop color.”