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Ruby Tsuji finds meaning in persistence and connection with others
Fact checked by Jim Lacy
Over the course of her 92 years, Ruby Tsuji has known struggle. At just 9 years old, she lost her mother — while she and her family were imprisoned at the Tule Lake Segregation Center in California.
Tule Lake was one of several internment camps where, by executive order, the U.S. government incarcerated about 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. But Tule Lake stood apart from the others. It was the largest and most secure of the 10 camps, holding 18,789 people at its peak.
While imprisoned there, Tsuji’s mother unknowingly developed a tumor. Due to a lack of proper medical care in the camp, the cancer went undiagnosed and untreated — until it was too late.
Tsuji says her greatest regret was not getting to know her mother better. She remembers her working in the mess hall, serving food to others. And she recalls violent sandstorms sweeping across the California desert, requiring her family to spend hours clearings and from their living quarters.
Of the nine Tsuji siblings, only three are still living: Ruby, an older sister, and a younger brother.
Despite all that she’s endured, Tsuji has embraced joy. Every weekday, she makes her way to the Japanese American Service Committee, where she participates in a day program for older adults — spending time with friends, enjoying community, and finding purpose.
In this daily rhythm, she has discovered what she believes is the meaning of life: “To stay alive with good friends and community,” she says. “To enjoy life without bringing others down.”
Tsuji often receives visits from her three children and takes comfort in her longstanding temple community. She’s such a familiar face there, she says, that everyone knows her.
She credits persistence — in what she does, how she speaks, and how she thinks — as key to her long life.
As for the future, Tsuji hopes to remain as healthy and independent as possible for as long as she can. And above all, she hopes that no matter what hardships people may face, good things will still come their way.
