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Kimiko Does Cancer is a graphic memoir recounting Kimiko Tobimatsu’s experiences before, during, and after her breast cancer diagnosis.

What I liked:

• I very much appreciate Tobimatsu’s clear, straightforward tone and style. As an attorney, I imagine she could have made the choice to write a dense, jargon-filled account of her experiences, even a full-length memoir instead of a graphic novel, but I found this format much more accessible and I hope this is true for other readers as well. Tobimatsu strikes me as someone who would value the accessibility of her work to a wide audience.
• The anecdote about Tobimatsu redirecting cancer donations to what appears to be support for migrants was both funny and illuminating. On a broader note, I’ve often wondered about the intersections of race and medical care on the patient side, especially for Asian patients identifying and/or receiving care as women/female/femmes. I appreciate Tobimatsu self-identifying her own position of privilege with regard to being able to afford medical care and advocating for herself. As a person who worries about both of these things, I find it inspiring and reassuring to hear a fellow nikkei person (whose interpersonal experience with the healthcare system would probably be similar to mine) state these facts.

What I learned:

• Although I know several people who have had cancer, I’ve never spoken at length with any of them about their experiences. After reading about the mental and emotional toll on Kimiko of fielding other people’s responses to her health, I’m somewhat relieved I never asked the questions I sometimes wondered if I should ask, and I’ll strive to be more conscientious of these situations in the future.

Questions I had:

• Is Tobimatsu involved in any contemporary efforts among young nikkei to chronicle nikkei history and/or situate nikkei experiences in the context of movements led by other communities of color? It would be interesting to hear her thoughts on these topics, particularly in a roundtable of young nikkei writers.

Follow-up:

• Does Tobimatsu have plans to write additional books? I felt a strong connection to the principles and values expressed by the persona she assumes in Kimiko Does Cancer, and I would enjoy getting to know her (vicariously) through more of her writing.