[1] Sakuma was introduced to hockey by her older brother, Teppei, and began playing as a child in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

Connections Hajime had forged with the ice hockey community in Japan made it possible for the team to travel from Houston to Hokkaido for a tournament.

While living in Japan, Sakuma worked as a translator for the owner of a major trucking company, who was also president of the Hokkaido hockey association.

Born and raised in the United States, Sakuma qualified to play for Japan because of her ancestry.

[5][6] In 2018, Sakuma was selected as a part of Sports Business Journal's eighth annual class of Game Changers.