Freelance announcer Mao Kobayashi, who died on Thursday after suffering from cancer, left behind an essay dedicated to the BBC. The British public broadcaster in 2016 put her on its list of 100 influential and inspirational women.
The BBC said that in Japan, people rarely talk about cancer but that Kobayashi broke the mold by writing a blog about her illness and how it changed her perspective on life. The broadcaster said her blog inspired cancer patients and many others.