a chance. As I thought about a fresh start while walking down the pier, my phone rang from the studio with the news. Monomi Park has taught me to set new personal boundaries. Building a team from the ground up is hard work but rewarding. It allowed me to set fresh new values, goals, and instill empathy for my team and their life beyond work. I am hopeful that I can nurture future leaders to have more empathy and lead by example. They are now going to be part of my post cancer story and I am excited to see what the future holds for us together. Cancer gave me the strength to break out of my comfort
because chemo had thrashed everything. He too couldn’t rely on muscle memory. He reminded me that I wasn’t alone, and it inspired me to speak up for those that may be suffering in silence. Now, three years post-diagnosis, I was cancer-free
but still experiencing side effects, which forced me to think about my future at 2K. I decided to make a career change, and this was another extremely hard decision because I had an amazingly supportive and fun team. I think about them every day. But the global business hours took a toll on my body as the team was based out of the UK. Although I was confident they would have extended every possible accommodation–just as SEGA had graciously done–I knew that the physical demands I was experiencing were beyond anyone’s control. It wouldn’t have been fair to expect them to shoulder the burden my health imposed. They deserved transparency and my body deserved the same honesty. Leaving was as sad as the day I left SEGA, yet I walked away being proud of myself, what I had learned, and the forever friends I’d made! Cancer taught me that only I can forge my path
and hopefully help others on the way. Daily tasks may be tougher, but I don’t want sympathy, I prefer understanding and balance, and communication that leads to mutually beneficial solutions.
I decided to return
to a leadership role as a director of marketing at Monomi Park, an environment where they encourage me to harness the new me. Monomi Park didn’t bat an eye when I told them my story, rather saw the strength in me and took
24 | MCV/DEVELOP December/January 2024
zone and really live life to the fullest. Focus less on the pain and focus more on the fun! I travel a lot more now and cherish experiences with my family and friends. I may have bought too many LEGO sets and Pokemon cards as a coping mechanism, but I think I deserved it. Cancer has unexpectedly gifted me with a stronger sense of self and unwavering confidence in myself and my life choices. My dad told me that he moved us to America from
Japan so we could become whoever we wanted to be because he never liked conforming to the norm. He lived life the way he wanted to and was always an adventurer. I knew he always wanted that for me, so I made the jump and never turned back. Sometimes things didn’t go as planned but I am the happiest I have been in a long time.
We’re all different. But there’s something kind of fantastic about that, isn’t there? ~ Ms. Fox from Fantastic Mr. Fox
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