Letter from Ippei
Thank you for your pledge to the Mt. Tamalpais Fundraising
Walk.
Your support made the walk very successful and memorable.
On Sunday, August 15, 2004, it was a clear day; it wasn’t
too hot or cold. The day was a perfect day for our long walk
to Mt. Tamalpais. We met at 19th Street and Castro at 8:00
am and started at 8:30 am. We reached at the East Peak of
Mt. Tam at 6:45 pm. Indeed, it was a long walk, at least 20
miles. However, we had a lot of fun. With good friends and
precious coworkers, the walk wasn’t a hard work. The
time went quickly while we were having fun.
From left: Keith, Ippei & Peter Clark @ the Summit
My dearest friends, Keith Schroeder and Peter Clark, walked
all the way from Castro to the summit with me. Two other friends,
Peter Warfield and Steve Bruce, walked from Castro to Sausalito.
My coworker Christina Wang and Richard Johnson, a partner
of my coworker Aya Okumura, joined us at the vista point (S.F.
side) at Golden Gate Bridge. Christina walked to Mill Valley.
Rich walked all the way to the summit. Aya was our life support,
driving her car and carrying water bottles and snacks. She
was waiting for us at checkpoints, both sides of Golden Gate
Bridge Vista Point, Sausalito, Mill Valley and the parking
lot below the summit. My friend, Patrick Barnett met with
us at the parking lot too. We all walked up to the summit
and celebrate our friends’ lives and our achievement
there.
Peter Warfield & Steve
The walk was meaningful for us because most of us had the
experiences of losing someone very close to us to HIV disease.
Keith and Patrick took care of several close friends at the
end of their lives. Peter Clark lost his lover of 15 years,
Tom. Steve lost his brother, Kirk. Peter Warfield lost his
ex-boyfriend. Aya and Christina experienced their clients’
death. Rich shared Aya’s sorrow with her when Aya lost
her clients.
With Aya & Christina
I too lost a few close friends and many clients. The walk
could be very personal and emotional for us, yet it was a
group effort and joyful thing to do. Thank you, Aya, Christina,
Keith, Patrick, Peter C, Peter W, Rich, and. Steve for your
participation in the walk.
Thank You!
We will do the Walk next year again!
Yukihiro Ippei Yasuda
Why did we walk?
I first came up with the idea of the walk last summer. It
was an utterly personal matter at the beginning. I lost one
particular Japanese client to HIV disease in 1996. He was
the first Japanese client to whom I was assigned. The client’s
last wish was that no one would look for his relatives in
Japan. He didn’t want anyone to notify his relatives
of his sickness and death. I kept his ashes at my home for
one year after his death; then, other Japanese clients, volunteers,
and I scattered his ashes from Mt. Tam, where he could see
the ocean and the San Francisco skyline. I have gone back
to that place with my friend, Marehito, who volunteered for
the client, around his memorial day since then. So having
thought about him and other clients, I wanted to walk to Mt.
Tam.
Give me the water bottle!
I was contemplating doing the walk to Mt. Tam on Autumn Equinox
Day. It is the day when Japanese pray for dead who went to
the other side. In Japan, we called the day ”HIGAN”,
which literally means “the other side of river/shore”
in Japanese. At the first, I just wanted to memorialize their
passing with the walk. It could be a walking meditation for
me. I wanted to do this with integrity, so I wanted to keep
it personal.
Guys! We are almost there!
Then, I thought that I could raise money for people living
with HIV disease by asking my friends and colleagues to pledge.
At the same time, I didn’t want to use people who had
died as a gimmick. I’d rather respect their lives. My
hesitation caused me not to make the walk on Equinox day.
Then the rainy season came. I gave up on the walk for a while.
During the rainy season, I talked about the walk with my
friends, Keith and Peter, and with a few other friends and
coworkers. They liked my idea and some people wanted to walk
with me. At the same time, I confirmed that HIV has affected
many of my close friends and coworkers. I thought that I should
share the walk with more people. I thought that it is not
a bad thing to ask for pledges from friends and colleagues
who are not able to walk with us. In a way, they could join
us to memorialize their friends by making pledges. Most of
all, I could raise money for people in need living with HIV.
Therefore, I decided to do the walk on August 15, Japanese
Buddhist Memorial Day. I thought that making the walk on the
day might be inappropriate for people who were not Buddhists.
However, I also thought that commemorating the dead is a universal
practice no matter what religion we believe in and what denomination
we belong to.
It’s sooooo windy! I need a jacket!
I mailed flyers to 160 people: friends, acquaintances, and
colleagues. 47 people responded to the notice and pledged
a total of $ 3,148. I felt a lot of community support. On
the day of the walk, your spirits walked with us. We were
just vehicles to carry your kindness and generosity to the
summit.
$ 2,140 goes to HIV Care Services Department at Asian &
Pacific Islander Wellness Center and $ 1,008 goes to access
program/ HIV acupuncture treatment program at Quan Yin Healing
Arts Center. Donation will be used for such things as MUNI
Bus Token, emergency food, and to pay some of the expenses
for clients’ retreat and holiday events at A&PI
Wellness Center. QYHAC will use the donation for acupuncture
supplies and scholarships for people living with HIV that
pay Qigong, Tai Chi and Yoga classes fees. Again! Thank you
so much for your support.
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