<Begin Segment 12>

PW: Also, you, you had an operation and went to the hospital?

SK: Yes.

PW: Tell me a little of that one, what happened there.

SK: Well, I want a family, and naturally Bob wants, too, and especially my father-in-law. So I went and changed the doctor to Dr. Yoneyama, she passed away, too. And she have, she have to go to take another exam in the United States. About two years doctor look after me, Dr. Yoneyama. And Dr. Mahoney or Maloney, this lady, Women's College Hospital, and she touched my, she touched my stomach. Oh, it was so hurt. I don't know, it's the wrong place. And he said -- I mean, she said, "Oh, we have to operate right away." Because of this thing in Japan, rupture my appendix, that was touch to my ovary, and I don't know, some kind of things, so my ovary was, looks like grapefruit-size. So nurse said afterwards, "Didn't you get hurt? Didn't you have any pain?" So I said, "No. I was sewing, but sometime my side of my stomach is, you know, like not hurt, but so heavy kind of thing." It wasn't hurt, so I stand up and stretch couple of time, it's gone. So that was bothering me that time, so operate, and afterwards doctor said to me, "You can't have any more child. You could adopt child, same as your own. So if you like it," he said, she said she'll contact with the Children's Aid. So I cried and cried and Bob was, well, doctor said that, I was wondering what my father-in-law is gonna say if I adopt. That's only my worry. But my father-in-law was so understanding, father, if it's a baby, so no, it's better than without child. "So if you like it, you could adopt it." So this is what I did, two of them, oldest one and younger one is Donna.

PW: Tell me about your first adoption.

SK: Yes, the first adoption was, right now it's very easy, but those days, Children's Aid come to check you, even no notice. Just, they just come and see how I'm doing, so that's why I have to quit my job, because you don't know when. You know, they said they'll come tomorrow or something, I could take a day off and work, but I don't know when they're gonna come. Twice a month or once a month, you never know. And they tested year, one year that time. One year passed and finally we got Jerry in our name to Kadoguchi.

PW: And how old was he and what was your first experience with him?

SK: Yes, it was very hard, because I think he was two. Turned to two because he came June and her birthday, his birthday was April, so he was two, little over two. So he was in, not, he always looked from far away, hiding, to the, looking after the mother, mother, and looking at us. So Children's Aid said, "This is no, not enough house. We will go some kind of plant." So I can't work, and when, you don't know when they're gonna call me, and we go to the Eglington and the near Yonge, that part of Coast Avenue and the park there. They bring up Jerry there. And they said, "Oh, Jerry, look at those man and the lady. We saw them before. You know, Jerry." So to close, close takes about one week, he finally close to us. And he have to go into the hospi-, Dr. Kuwabata was looking after him. Tonsil and the ear operation. And we went to see, and he was so happy. And that coming home, he cried. He called me, "Mommy," and sick children, I had a phone call from -- "Don't come to the hospital. When you get, when he get out, coming out, we'll let you know, because we had a hard time to stop other kids to stop crying." [Laughs] And very, once Jerry was close to us, it was okay, but before that, he was very suspicious looking at us. Black, blue, I mean, big eye looking at, up and down. [Laughs]

PW: Then tell me about, about your second adoption.

SK: Yes, we wait five-and-a-half years, so all, now, we are not going to get, because we're getting old, too, so when you get old you have to get only teenage. See, I like to have a child, see, and baby, so I don't think so, so we give all the children's bed, crib and everything to friend, and what do you know? After, even the one month then pass, and they said, "Mrs. Kadoguchi, we got a little girl for you," and they phoned me, so Bob went to, with, way up close to Mississauga, where she was staying. And when I look at her first, "Oh my gosh," teeny, thin, bow-legged, this girl, and no hair. "Can I raise this child?" Because I was weak myself, so I always think about how parents was, hard to look after me. So Children's Aid, Bob phoned next day, "Yes, we will adopt." So they said, "Are you sure?" I looked at the wife, but the wife wasn't very keen on, so, "You better talk with." "Oh yes, she, she said she'd like to have." "Okay, this is what..." so, if you look at the child and someone go like that, you have to watch yourself, what kind of face you make. [Laughs] But really, when I see Jerry was very healthy, he was taller than the age, and, and that when I look at Donna, my gosh, nobody think about that she was like that recently, you see Donna. [Laughs]

PW: And tell, tell me about your, the reaction of your father-in-law and your relationship they had with your...

SK: Oh, the children? Yes. Jerry didn't go very fast. He always go back my back, and when someone visit to see Jerry and look at, I don't know. But Donna was different. When Ojiichan said, "Oh, Donna," you know, he, hand down, oh, she was just like a baby chick. [Laughs] Both, both hand out, so he loves Donna really. So when he was in the hospital, whole family goes and call, "Papa, Papa, wake up. Open your eye," he never does. But when Jerry and Donna visit, wide awake, and you know, smile. So he like both my child, children. [Laughs]

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2005 Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre and Densho. All Rights Reserved.