This is the story of a third-grader who almost died in a traffic accident. It tells of the marvelous blessing she received through the intense faith of her grandmother and the resolutions made by her father and relatives.
Mayuko Ueno and her family live in a peaceful rural community, which is nestled among the mountains. Every morning, nine-year-old Mayuko and her eleven-year-old sister, Maki, walk down to the bus stop to join the other children who live nearby. From there, they all walk to school together. The elementary school is located in town, about two kilometers away, so it takes them about forty minutes to get there.
On March 18 of the year, the two sisters went to the bus stop as usual. While waiting for the other children to gather, Mayuko suddenly remembered that she had forgotten something she was supposed to take to school that day. Handing her school bag to her sister, she said: “I have to go home and get something. But don’t wait for me. I’ll run and catch up with all of you.” Then she darted off for home.
Leaving her house for the second time that morning, the only thought in Mayuko’s head was that she must hurry to catch up with the others. She decided to take a shortcut, which led her down to the highway. As she was crossing the highway, a compact car came flying at her. The car had more passengers than was permitted by law and was exceeding the speed limit. The car crashed into her. There was dull thud and the car came to a stop, although, as the lack of skid marks showed, the brakes had never even been applied.
Mayuko’s mother, Satomi, was immediately informed of the accident by one of her neighbors. She rushed down to the scene of the accident, but the horrible sight in front of her prevented her from speaking.
Mayuko was lying in the road, and blood was pouring from her nose and mouth. Her eyes were frozen wide open. Her breathing had stopped and her body was already turning cold.
Fortunately, a fireman happened to drive by on his way to work. He stopped and administered first aid to Mayuko. People who had seen her lying on the highway were already running through town telling others: “Mayuko is dead! She was just killed in a traffic accident.”
Utako Mio, fifty-nine years of age, who is Mayuko’s grandmother (on her mother’s side), heard this rumor almost right after the accident had occurred. She ran straight to her Tenrikyo church, where she threw herself on the floor before the altar and pleaded with God: “Take my life right now, at this very moment,I swear I don’t mind at all. Please, I beg You, give my remaining years to Mayuko and let her live.”
At the hospital, Mayuko was immediately put into the intensive care unit. The results of an initial examination showed that she had sustained multiple fractures of the cranium, though without any apparent damage to the brain, as well as several broken ribs. The pressure on her liver had caused it to swell up and the doctors feared that this might pose a grave danger if it resulted in jaundice. At one point, her heart stopped beating, but it miraculously began to beat again at about the same time her grandmother had started performing a prayer service on her behalf at 8:15 a.m.
PP