Tokyo Sports posted the entire interview with Yuma from their newspaper yesterday on their website. Here is a link to it if you are interested in reading the original article
http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/entame...inment/150245/. I did a translation of the interview because I thought it would be of interest to people. I will mention it out front, I am not Japanese and I don't have any medical background, so please forgive me if I made some mistakes during translation, but this is as good as I can do.
you announced on twitter in February that you are taking time off due to health issues, which caused a stir in your fan base, can you tell us exactly what type of illness you are suffering from?
Yuma: simply put, they found a tumor in my ovary, it is a tumor very close to being malignant.
when did you start to feel unwell?
Yuma: I started feeling pressure build up in my abdomen area in January. After MRI testing, the doctors told me that they suspect that I might have ovarian cancer. I was told that they can't be a hundred percent sure unless they operate on me, but they did say that if I show this MRI to 10 different doctors, they will all suggest that it is ovarian cancer.
were you preparing for the worst?
Yuma: I did some research on ovarian cancer and found out that it is called the silent killer and that the survival rate is not great. I almost gave up hope as I thought to myself "am I going to die? and I will never be able to have a baby."
you were then hospitalized?
Yuma: they told me that since I am still young and that the fact the tumor is probably still progressing, it is in my best interest that they operate on me right away. I had surgery on February 25th.
what did they find out during surgery?
Yuma: I was told that tumors are usually either benign or malignant, but in my case it was in the middle and it is borderline ovarian tumor. Technically it is borderline ovarian tumor stage 3b. Just like cancer, it is divided into 4 stages and each stage is also assigned the alphabet a,b and c depending on how much it had spread. The doctor told me if it had been malignant, then it would be very serious, but even though it is not cancer, the tumor was close to being malignant, so you still can't really relax. Statistically speaking, borderline ovarian tumor is quite rare and that in most cases they are found really early (stage I), so my case is quite rare.
can you tell us the detail of the surgery?
Yuma: I had both of my ovaries and uterus removed, they also removed a part of the greater omentum. The tumor had also spread to my rectum, but after a discussion between the doctor and my family during surgery, it was decided that they will leave it in so I don't have to have artificial anus. Since a part of the tumor remains in my rectum, I have to receive chemotherapy to try to cure it.
can you tell us a bit about what it was like after the surgery?
Yuma: I stayed in hospital for abotu two weeks after the surgery. During that time I didn't really eat much and I was trying to rehab even though I didn't have much energy. As a result, I lost about 8 kilograms of weight. They also drained about 2 kilograms of fluid from my abdominal cavity.
you appeared at the Ebisu Muscats concert on April 7th
Yuma: it was a goal that I had set for myself when I started my treatment, to appear at the last ever Muscats concert. I thought to myself it is something I really wanted to do even if it might put my life in danger.
it was only about one month past your surgery
Yuma: I thought it would be fine after one month, but honestly my abdomen was hurting and I had also began the first round of my chemotherapy.
the side effects must be really tough?
Yuma: it is really tough, I feel numbness, wanting to throw up, lost of hair and symptoms similar to menopausal disorder.
did you feel any side effects during the concert?
Yuma: I had scheduled my chemotherapy so that it would not have affected me much at the concert, the only side effect was hair loss.
how about support from your family?
Yuma: at first, I really had a tough time telling my mother about it (after some silence, she continued the interview with tears). I just couldn't tell her that I won't be able to have children and that the survival rate for ovarian cancer is not good.
but you still had to tell them
Yuma: when I went back to the family home and told her, my mother was crying like a child. My whole family were crying, but I told them I will be fine. Now, during the time when I can't move freely due to chemotherapy, I stay at my family's place where they are taking care of me. I am so grateful toward my family and friends around me for helping me through this tough times.
you have a positive outlook on things now right?
Yuma: when I found out that it is borderline tumor instead of cancer and that I still have a good chance to live for a long time, I was able to have a positive view on things. Even though I can't give birth anymore, I would still like to get married someday and there are still many things that I wanted to try in the future. Also, I can't die before my mother does (it is considered a big sin when the child dies before his or her parents).
you haven't had any work after the concert
Yuma: no, I haven't had any work. I am wearing a wig right now and I am still feeling the side effects from chemotherapy.
what are your future plans?
Yuma: I try to be active when I am not feeling the side effects. Right now, I would really like to hold an event where I can meet my fans. I want to show my appreciation toward the fans for all the energy I received from them during Muscats concert which carried me on. I would also like to appear in theatrical plays and to release songs. I want to have a positive attitude going forward. I hope my fans can wait for me and as long as there are people that like me, I will continue to do my best to meet their expectations.
what is the plan for your AV career?
Yuma: I am still thinking about it, I am still receiving treatment at the moment, so I don't think I can make a decision now.
finally, what made you decide to come forward about your illness?
Yuma: after I became sick, I realized just how difficult it is to detect symptoms for ovarian disease, so I hope I can bring awareness to people about the disease and urge people to go for checkups.
end of interview, personally I think she is a very brave young lady for going public with her disease to try to increase awareness. I also respect her dedication and professionalism, I was at the Muscats concert on April 7th and she was dancing and singing with a lot of energy and didn't show any hint that she was actually in pain. Hopefully everything will work out for her and that she will be able to achieve her goals.
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