Arcadia’s Olympic figure skater Mirai Nagasu skates in her first Olympics Tuesday night but last Thursday Mirai tweeted a request for friends and fans to vote for her Mom, Ikuko Nagasu, to win a ring even more special than one of the five rings from the Olympics.
Mirai Nagasu at Olympics send-off at Arcadia Presbyterian Church. Photo from Pasadena Star-News from correspondent Mike Mullen.
The O.C. Tanner Inspiration award gives a 14k gold commemorative ring to a person who most ignited the spark and encouraged the dream of an Olympic athlete. You can vote here on Facebook and read and leave comments.
Ikuko has had two surgeries and will undergo radiation treatment after the Olympics for thyroid cancer diagnosed last fall.
In her posting on the O.C. Tanner Inspiration Facebook page, Mirai calls Ikuko a “super-mom, with no extraordinary powers except her willingness to serve and love others entirely.” She writes how her mom has always been supportive of her father’s Japanese restuarant in Arcadia and Mirai’s skating. “…she nspired me to never give up. Watching her sacrifice for me inspires me to push forward. How could I see my mom wearing clothes with holes in them so I could afford lessons, and not be grateful?”
Mirai says her mom’s battle with cancer has not slowed her down, “even coming home one day after surgery to drive me to the rink.” — Scott Hettrick