- Couple with male infertility
- 26 years old
- Hotel staff
- from Ukraine
The Greatest Treasure I Found in Japan
Escape from the War
The day I arrived in Japan, I had just escaped the sounds of war in Ukraine. I was lucky to reach safety, but my heart was frozen with despair. However, thanks to the support of the Japanese government and many kind people, I attended a Japanese language school and eventually started working at a hotel front desk. My life finally began to move again.
I was well aware that the hotel hired me not just because of my skills, but because of their kindness. That’s why I worked as hard as I could, using Ukrainian, English, and Japanese. One day at the front desk, I panicked because I couldn’t understand a guest who was speaking very fast Kansai-ben (a local dialect). It was my colleague, Saito-san, who saved me.
Falling in Love
Watching him work so efficiently and cover for my mistakes, I slowly fell in love with him. I gathered my courage and invited him on our first date. He was a quiet and modest man, but as we spent more time together, we started talking about a future together.
A Difficult Truth
One night at an Izakaya (Japanese pub), he said, “I have something important to tell you.” He told me he was divorced because he had “azoospermia.” Even with surgery, it was impossible to find any sperm.
“I cannot give you a child,” he said.
His honest confession broke my heart. Because I loved him so much, I wanted his child. But more than anything, I didn’t want to lose him. I suggested, “Maybe we could use a donation from one of your relatives? Then the baby might look like you.”
But his next words were even more shocking. He grew up in an orphanage and had no family at all. “That’s why I wanted to protect you, because you also came to Japan alone,” he told me. At that moment, I felt there were no options left. I thought it was “game over.”
A Small Hope: Samurai Donor
“Let’s try AID (Artificial Insemination by Donor). If it’s your child, I can love them as my own,” he suggested unexpectedly.
We visited many hospitals, but the reality was cruel. They told us we didn’t meet the requirements, or that we would have to wait more than two years for a donor. I spent my days looking up at the Japanese sky and crying, thinking, “I will never become a mother.”
Around that time, I saw news from Ukraine about rescuing surrogate mothers and babies caught in the war. While searching for related news, I found information about sperm donation. I searched for services in Japan and found “Samurai Donor.” Feeling like this was our last hope, I contacted them and went for an interview.
Meeting Masa-san
To my surprise, the donor, Masa-san, greeted me in Ukrainian! Just hearing that made me feel so much lighter. He was kind enough to offer to speak in English because I was still struggling with Japanese. Saito-san also trusted him immediately, saying, “Masa-san is a person we can truly rely on.”
A New Form of Family
From there, everything went surprisingly smoothly. I received the donation and finally, a new life was growing inside me.
When we saw our baby for the first time, we were speechless. The baby looks like me, but strangely, also looks a bit like Saito-san. People who don’t know our story say, “He looks exactly like his daddy!”
I once gave up on my dream because of the wall of “blood relations.” But my husband’s deep love and Masa-san—the best donor we could ask for—made my dream come true.
A Message to Others
If there are women out there feeling hopeless because of infertility or difficult systems, I want to tell you: there is more than one way. If you take a step with courage, a future you never imagined is waiting for you.
Masa-san, thank you so much. When the war is over, please let me show you around Ukraine. I am looking forward to the day when the four of us walk together under the blue sky and through the golden wheat fields.