This morning, I learned that my friend Kayoko Ishizuka had passed away over the weekend. Kayoko, known affectionately, as “Kay” by her friends, had transferred to Virginia Tech my freshman year, and although we only spent one year together at the university, I can recall many fond memories with her. She had since gone on to pursue a doctorate degree at the Medical College of Wisconsin and was a postdoctoral student at USF College of Medicine. We had lost touch for years, but had recently reconnected on Facebook a few months ago. Kayo was one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever known, and I’ve always been certain that she was going to accomplish great things for not only herself but also for the world of science, for which she was so passionate.
Kayo was bicycling home from another late night of research at the USF laboratory in Tampa, when she fell victim to a fatal hit-and-run accident at 1:40am Saturday morning. The SUV that hit her was discovered abandoned over the weekend, but the driver is yet to be found and arrested. Kayo’s name was not made public until this morning, when one of our mutual friends who is now interning at USF happened to see her on the local morning news.
I found myself struggling to get a grasp on the whole tragedy today… and have been confronted with a host of emotions — of course, the sadness and heartbreak over Kayo’s death, as well as anger towards the hit-and-run driver — but initially, more than anything, I was stunned at how such a bright mind and spirit could be so quickly snuffed out from this world. I’ve faced a number of situations before in my life where I’ve lost loved ones suddenly and unexpectedly, but every time, it’s a shock that takes weeks and months to come to terms with. Every time, the pain and grief is fresh, raw, and leaves me feeling irreparable and helpless. Every time, I’m confronted by and reminded of the brevity of life, and I still have trouble accepting it.
For now, I want to celebrate Kayo’s life and all the ways she touched people’s lives, including my own. I want to remember her for her brilliant mind, her love of food and cooking, and her quirky, offbeat sense of humor. Reading her blog and her Twitter shows her colorful personality, her appetite for life, and her love of tinkering with and riding bicycles. In the end, I want to remember her for everything that made her uniquely her and how much of a gift it was to have her in our lives, rather than how she was taken away from us.
I will miss you Kayo…
