Yukiko Nakahori (November 14, 1971 - January 12, 1993) was a Japanese woman who worked as a campaign model for the bone marrow bank. Born in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture . After developing chronic myeloid leukemia at age 18, she traveled extensively, giving lectures and appearing on television to advocate for donor registration with the bone marrow bank. On November 13, 1992 (Heisei 4), she received Japan's first overseas air-transported bone marrow transplant. However, she developed complications and passed away 60 days after the transplant . In the summer of 1993, after her death, a spot commercial using footage of Yukiko aired as part of Mainichi Broadcasting System's (MBS) bone marrow transplant awareness campaign “The Miracle of the 100,000th Person.” This led to a surge in inquiries about donor registration. After the campaign expanded nationwide, the number of registrants skyrocketed, generating a significant response . In 1994 (Heisei 6), Makoto Endo's reportage “Farewell at 21” (published during her lifetime) was released. That same year, Mainichi Broadcasting System adapted it into a television drama.. Also in 1994, Aimoto Mizuho's shōjo manga “Yukiko - Shining Life -”, featuring Yukiko as the protagonist, was published.
Source: “Yukiko Nakahori”, English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), excerpt