Sadao Hirano

When people noticed my keloids, some stared at them, and some averted their eyes like they were seeing something dirty.  At first, I lived hiding my keloids.  Also, because nobody knew about radiation damage at that time, some thought it was contagious and avoided me.

I felt so fatigued that I had no concentration or strength.  I had to get down on all fours when climbing steps.  Moving just a little bit made me feel like lying down, and I got sick easily.

When I was a high school student, my parents recommended that I go by myself for a hot-spring cure in Sanin Region.  But, as soon as I went into the big bath room, about ten people there all went out.  It was like the low ocean tide disappearing from the shore.  I was shocked that people thought that my keloids were contagious, and decided I would never go to public baths again.  Only once after that, I visited Beppu Onsen with my relatives, and I took a private bath in our room.

After I graduated from high school in 1951, I became an employee of Hiroshima Credit Union, later changed to Hiroshima Shinkin Bank due to the revision of the Banking Law.  I had to see many customers every day at the bank.  At first, I tried to hide my keloids, but the bank’s summer uniform was half-sleeved.  I knew the customers stared at the keloids on my arms, and their faces showed that they felt like they saw something unpleasant.  Some people even told me that keloids were disgusting, so I decided to tell customers that I was an A-bomb survivor.

Many A-bomb survivors also suffered from discrimination.  It was not easy for them to get a job because they were physically weak and were often absent from work.  And some couldn’t get married because some people thought there might be a possibility of having children with disabilities.  Luckily, I got a job, but I never told my poor health to my colleagues or bosses.  If I did, I might have been fired.  When I was 26 years old, I got married to Teruko and had two children, so I was responsible for supporting my family.  Having worked for 37 years with my keloids’ pain and fatigue, I retired from the bank at the age of 55.