Naomi L. Takeuchi

My father is originally from the Guangdong province of China and immigrated to this country when he was six years old.  He later joined the United States Air Force at the age of 19 and worked his way up to Staff Sergeant during his nine year tenure.  During one of his tours of duty, he was stationed in Japan where he met my mother, and they were later married.  Despite historic cultural differences between these two countries, my Japanese grandparents didn’t mind that my father was Chinese since my mother was 26 at the time.  They insisted that my parents get married so my mother didn’t become an “old maid”.  I am proud of my mixed cultural heritage and carry my mother’s maiden name, while my brother carries my father’s last name.

After seeing several family members affected by various types of cancer, I felt an urge to try to help but wasn’t sure how.  Although I had not been personally diagnosed with cancer, I wanted to help contribute in some way.  I donated money to several organizations such as the Susan G. Komen Foundation but still felt I could do more.  When the Sister Study approached me this year to help them recruit Asian American and Pacific Islander women, I was honored to have an opportunity to contribute toward this historic study.   Asian American and Pacific Island women are far under-represented in research studies and in the media, and this is an opportunity to ensure our sisters are included!

As one of the few Asian American women who are members of the National Speakers Association, this opportunity to work with the Sister Study couples closely  my background training in genetics as well as my interest in ensuring Asian and Pacific Island sisters are represented in a positive manner in the media and in the workplace. Please join me in making a difference to ensure that our sisters are represented in the Sister Study.