Aya Kitō

Aya Kitō (木藤亜也) (July 19, 1962 - May 23, 1988) was a 15-year-old Japanese girl who wrote a diary about her personal experiences while suffering from spinocerebellar ataxia. Her diary, entitled 1 Litre no Namida (1リットルの涙, Ichi Rittoru no Namida, lit. "1 Litre of Tears"), was first published in her native Japan on February 25, 1986, more than two years before her death at the age of 25. Kito battled the incurable disease for 10 years and suffered both emotional and physical pain, which was subsequently stressful to her family as well. Her diary was later adapted into a film (2004) and then later into a television drama series with Erika Sawajiri portraying her (2005).