Due to the emotional and physical strain of her work, Anne weakened her liver, and had to return to England. Then a year passed without any news about her. During that interval, to spread the word about how wonderful a person Anne was, I took advantage of several opportunities to talk with staff members at magazines dealing with the subject of experimental animals, and with other people involved in the field. I also went around the country to talk about how behind the times Japan was in matters of animal welfare.
One day, I unexpectedly received an envelope from someone I did not know. The sender was a person in Tokyo, and in the envelope there was a Japanese letter, an English letter, a copy of a translation of a magazine article I had written about Anne, and a photo of Anne. The sender was Ms. H, a friend of Anne’s, and she had translated and sent me a letter that Anne’s mother wrote to me. It was a notice of Anne’s death. Anne’s mother wanted to let me know, so she asked around and finally tracked me down. Anne had been hospitalized after her return to England, but she did not recover. The letter said that Anne had passed away, with many friends standing by her side. It also said that Anne had worried about the dogs in Japan until her last minute, and that she regretted the fact that she had to leave her work behind. Her mother wrote, “I have read the translation of the article you have written. It is a saving grace that at least some people in Japan did understand what Anne was trying to do. Thank you Mr. Satoh.” Reading her letter, I felt very sorry, but at the same time, I also felt relieved. Enclosed were photos of Anne attending her friend’s wedding and of Anne’s tombstone with her dog sitting next to it.