[Music]

good afternoon everybody my name is Fadi

Haytham and I've come all the way here

from the secondary visual school from

Jogjakarta to deliver my speech to all

today the theme that I've chosen is this

book saved me before anything I'd like

to say that I've done a speech on this

topic but the book that I'll be talking

about is different to give you a little

background information about myself I

started reading when elementary school

started at the time though I didn't

really go out of my comfort zone that

much because I just didn't want to read

books that I wouldn't like when I was in

3rd to 4th grade my mother introduced me

to a book that she said had a really big

impact on her I was really skeptical of

it cuz it didn't seem like something

that I would enjoy but I started reading

it on a whim the book was about a young

Japanese girl who is 6th grade at the

time and she had an avid love for

running she was chosen for her school's

relay race so she practiced every single

day and on the day of the competition

her class won first place

however on that fateful day her life

began to change with sickness and

dizziness she felt this as a constant

but never did she tell anybody about it

out of fear that they'd be concerned for

her one day though it became a secret no

longer on a cold February day during

practice the girl collapsed and was

taken to the hospital she was in a

separate room as her parents talked to

the doctors and from the separate room

suddenly her mother exclaimed leukemia

it can't be and when I read those words

I was in shock how could such a young

and active girl gets such a horrible

disease this is the true story of Sadako

Sasaki and her story takes place just a

few years after the Hiroshima and

Nagasaki bombing she was just two years

when it happened she wasn't really

affected at first but it showed up

eventually in her

and she was admitted to the hospital the

next day

her best friend visited her at the

hospital and gave to her a golden paper

crane she explained to Sadako that if

she could make a thousand of them then

hopefully the gods would grant her a

wish and she'd be able to get better

with this in her mind she began to fold

as many paper cranes as she could every

single day in hopes that she'd be able

to get better it's a bit childish

probably but I really felt inspired and

touched reading about how she didn't

stop and nor did she complain at all

about her pain she also received

unwavering support from her friends and

family who would even donate paper for

her with this I truly felt as if she'd

be able to make it out of this horrible

situation there came a time in the

hospital when Sadako made a friend who

was 2 years younger than her his name

was Kenji and he also had leukemia

unlike her though Kenji do not have his

parents around anymore and he was very

pessimistic they nonetheless though

became good friends there came a time

though one day when Sadako didn't meet

Kenji all day long and that following

night Sadako heard the sound of a

hospital bed rolling away a nurse came

into her room and explained to her as

calmly as she could that Kenji had

passed away that night Sadako grieved in

her room for the death of her friend but

she never stopped again to keep folding

these paper cranes and hope for the best

there came a point in her treatment also

when it seemed like she was getting

better she was allowed to visit home but

after this visit she only took a turn

for the worse and that's when I knew

that something bad was going to happen

one night during October her swollen and

clumsy hands fumbled with a piece of

paper in hopes that she'd be able to

make one last paper crane before she

fell asleep that night the doctors took

the paper away from her hands and told

her that she could try again tomorrow

the next morning it was October 25th

1955 she ate one bite of her dish as her

family and friends surrounded her on her

she said it's good in her sick and

weakened voice she took one last bite of

the dish her eyes slowly drifted to

sleep and sadako sasaki never woke up

when I finished the book I was in tears

grieving for this girl that I had never

even met before but I was so incredibly

thankful that I've gotten to heard of

her incredible journey she had taught me

and so many different people the

importance of one the importance of

peace and how to maintain it it has

taught me that war is never a good thing

and most importantly I think this book

has taught me that no matter how dire

your situation gets and no matter the

consequences of what's going on no

matter the outcome that you must never

stop trying no matter what she is today

considered an important figure in peace

and that really inspired me finally I'd

like to dedicate this speech to Sadako

Sasaki herself the girl that only wanted

to run like the wind thank you so much I

hope this book is healthier