Sadako

Sadako Sasaki was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. She lived by Misasa Bridge, a mile away from where the bomb was dropped. She survived the initial blast, but ten years later she was diagnosed with leukemia. She was one of thousands of Hiroshima citizens that developed cancer in the years following the bombing. Leukemia caused by the effects of the radiation from the bomb became so common that is was called "Atom Bomb Disease."

Sadako's story became well publicized around the world, because one day a friend visited Sadako at the hospital, since Sadako wasn't able to go back to school. The friend told her of a legend that stated that if a person were to make a thousand origami cranes, they will get a wish from the Gods. Sadako worked hard to fold 1,000 cranes, but did not make it. She died after making 644. After she passed, her classmates finished the rest and buried her with them. They built a memorial for her called "Children's Peace Monument" and it stands in the center of Hiroshima Peace Park. The monument is of Sadako holding a golden paper crane to the sky. To this day people from all over the world leave folded cranes at the base of the statue as a symbol of sympathy and peace.