Hiro Fuijita’s will to live has become a shining light in The Land of the Rising Sun and beyond.
—
“I can no longer speak, but it does not mean I am giving up. My friends give me strength and I will keep fighting. For myself. For others. For a cure. My voice is louder now that ALS took it away.”
When one hears something like this, they may think life is over. They may think it’s the end of the world–not just the whole world in general, but theirs as well. They might believe the negativity and fear behind words like these, because society often teaches man to fear–and because these words could be the only things they have to hold onto.
This is the very moment when man has two choices: sink deeper and deeper into despair or rise above it. As someone who has quietly battled a disease in addition to a disability since 2014, I can say with absolute certainty that it’s not an easy choice to make. However, I choose to fight every day because that’s what I’ve done all my life–but I’ve never lost my voice, my ability to move or my ability to feel.
Hiro Fuijita, a native of Japan, was once a healthy, able-bodied man, capable of doing all those things and more as a lively advertising director. According to a recent article published by Upworthy.com, the physical life he knew is now nonexistent.
Fuijita’s downward spiral began with a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive disease affecting the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. His arms started to feel heavy and his legs were lined with pain, making it difficult to walk. Soon after this, in 2010, he was diagnosed with ALS–the same crippling disease that renowned physicist Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with decades ago. The double diagnosis slowly ate away at Fuijita’s body, leaving him unable to walk, speak or feel anything in his nervous system.
At this point, Fuijita was given the choice to continue living with pain and uncertainty, or ending his own life in light of Japan’s escalating suicide rate. He chose to live. Fuijita now uses a wheelchair and an output device to communicate. In his TEDTalkx video above, he explains why he made the choice he did:
“The weaker [my body] gets, the more I want to help others.”
After being diagnosed with ALS, Fuijita started a foundation called End ALS, with two main goals in mind: to find a cure and to change government policy in Japan to help people live living with the disease gain affordable access to technology–so that they might be able to lead more fulfilling, comfortable lives. While he was doing all this, however, Fuijita’s physical state was getting worse by the day. The Japanese government got wind of this and connected him with advertising agency in Tokyo that offered his dream job as a planning director–a position he still holds today.
“I use Tobii eye tracking software so I can control my computer cursor with my eyes. Japan’s insurance doesn’t cover it unless you can only move your eyes, but every person in need deserves it. It enables me to work on END ALS. It also lets me access Facebook, which is my main way to connect and hang with friends. It is a way for me to live my pre-ALS life through others. It can be painful to see what you’re missing out on, but it’s comforting it still exists. Not to mention all of the long and short ‘stay strong’ messages,” Fuijita says.
Despite all his obstacles, Fuijita has written a book and served as a guest speaker at worldwide conferences, telling stories and raising awareness about ALS.
It’s true that times get tough. It’s true that we sometimes want to hide and pretend bad experiences aren’t real–but we always have the option to run away. Or at least feel like we’re running away. When we feel that urge, perhaps we should take advice from Hiro himself: “I am 99% grateful for all that has happened in my life. But 1% angry.”
—
***
Improve your writing, expand your reach, and monetize your craft.
Join The Good Men Project’s Writers’ Community on Patreon.
We welcome all experience levels.
Learn more on our Patreon page.
***
—
Photo Credit: www.honeyee.com