A few things come to mind when you think of Masayuki (Yuki) Hashimoto: golf, eating, and Chibi-Maruko’s grandfather (Tomozo).  He was always the life of the party and people were continuously amazed at Yuki’s teenager-like appetite and love of golf. He regularly enjoyed having the company of friends and family over for a meal at home, at his favourite restaurant Congee Noodle House, or at the Meadow Garden clubhouse where the servers knew him not only by name, but his membership number noted on his bill!

Fun-loving Yuki was born in Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan in 1947. In his late 20’s he planned to make a stop-over in Vancouver to make a bit of money before heading to Paris to learn French and become Parisian—but he never made it to Paris. Yuki loved Vancouver so much that he decided to settle down in Vancouver. He later relocated to Richmond, to live with his wife and raise his three daughters.

Yuki worked for over 35 years at Daishowa-Marubeni International (DMI), an integrated forest products company, before retiring at age 65. At DMI, Yuki had a dual role of Assistant General Manager and Manager of Transportation and Logistics. Before his illness, Yuki’s retirement years were spent golfing four to six days a week and making several annual trips to Japan to visit his friends, family, and relatives, as well as to explore his birth country.

Yuki passed away in February after an indomitable battle with Glioblastoma, stage 4, brain cancer. We hope you will honour Yuki’s memory by making a contribution toward cancer research at UBC.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the deadliest form of brain cancer affecting adults. Despite improvements in diagnostic imaging, surgical techniques, and therapeutics, this devastating disease has eluded major treatment advances. Following a diagnosis of GBM, most patients will live only 12–14 months—a dismal statistic that has not changed appreciably in the past 50 years.

Future advances in brain tumor research rely on the recruitment of new investigators to the field. Your gift will support promising young trainees who may establish research programs of their own and contribute substantially to efforts focused on improving outcomes for GBM patients.

Through your generosity, we can help solve an urgent problem of today while fostering the next generation of researchers who will expand the field and focus on the challenges of tomorrow.