Help Kotomi Beat Cancer Again & Start A Family

Born and raised in Japan, Kotomi Honda moved to the US in June of 2019 to continue her career in beauty and skincare. She arrived in Southern California with a student visa and started to take classes at Golden West College with the goal of obtaining her esthetician’s license and starting her new life and career in the United States. 


While it was her goal to continue cosmetology, her decision to come to the US was ultimately to follow her heart. Kotomi had met her future husband, Aki, in January of 2018, and they had maintained a mostly long-distance relationship with her being in Fukuoka, Japan, and him being in Los Angeles. It was their love and commitment to each other that brought Kotomi to the US a year and a half later. 


In 2018, Kotomi was diagnosed with breast cancer in her right breast and had a lumpectomy and radiation. Fortunately, the treatments were successful and she went into remission. When she received her diagnosis, she had an honest conversation with Aki about whether he would still like to continue their relationship as she knew he wanted children in his future and cancer may affect that. Without hesitation, Aki stayed by her side. 


In October of 2020, Kotomi and Aki got married at the Honda Center in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although they are beloved by a tight circle of friends, they found themselves physically alone on their wedding day due to quarantine restrictions. Still, they were able to realize their shared dream of being married to each other and found happiness as newlyweds. 


Despite spending their first months as a married couple in quarantine, Kotomi and Aki moved forward with their goals. Kotomi continued her schooling while Aki maintained his position in IT. Aki also taught Kotomi how to drive and she was able to obtain her driver’s license. They shared their home with Aki’s father, and although stressful, Kotomi continues to be a respectful and dutiful daughter-in-law. 


Kotomi and Aki had just started to think about having children when she received devastating news. Her cancer had returned. On April 1st, 2021, Kotomi learned that she had Stage 1, Triple Negative, Grade 3 breast cancer. This type of cancer differs from other types as it grows and spreads faster with more limited treatment options and has a generally worse prognosis. Kotomi also found that she is BRCA1 positive, meaning that she is at a much higher risk of developing cancer. 


Although Kotomi was able to avoid chemotherapy with her first diagnosis, she would not be able to refuse it now. Since she also has the BRCA1 mutation, she will have to undergo a double mastectomy at the end of her chemotherapy treatments with the possibility of reconstruction. 


Since Kotomi is now 39 and both she and Aki still want children, they have decided to freeze her eggs as chemotherapy will affect her fertility. She has started IVF treatments with the goal of a healthy, natural pregnancy once she recovers from her chemotherapy. 


Already crushed by this news, Kotomi and Aki also discovered that Aki’s office will close permanently in the coming months, meaning he will be unemployed with no source of income. As Kotomi will be unable to work during her treatments, the mounting costs loomed. 


The Livestrong foundation will help Kotomi with her medication but the IVF costs could be bottomless and serve as another point of anxiety for the couple. With Aki’s job ending, their health insurance will also expire accordingly.


The duration of Kotomi’s cancer treatments will depend on the effectiveness of the chemotherapy but it may take well over a year to complete all of the neoadjuvant chemotherapy, double mastectomy surgery, and reconstruction. At this point, the estimated cost for her medical treatment as well as the IVF treatments may be well over $38,000. Kotomi and Aki have already spent $8,000 out of pocket before any treatment has even started. Currently, Kotomi plans to start her chemotherapy treatments in early May 2021. 


If you know Kotomi, you’d know that she has the sweetest and most gentle soul. We would be enormously grateful for any donations, big or small, to help with our fundraising efforts on Kotomi’s behalf. Please share this GoFundMe page with anyone you think might be able to support Kotomi and Aki. Please let us know if you’d like to donate offline or via another avenue. 


Thank you all as we wish the best for Kotomi and Aki.