"I will always stand in the ring", the rehabilitation of Yoshihiro Takayama, supported by his wife Natsuko

Yahoo.co.jp
16th August 2018

In May 2017, Yoshihiro Takayama (51), had an accident during a match and still cannot move past his shoulders. Nevertheless, his wife Natsuko (50) is supporting his rehabilitation, and "I will always stand in the ring"

Last May when her cell phone rang, she was at home asleep with a high fever. She had a bad feeling as she took the call.
"He has suffered an injury and been taken in an ambulance, I want you to come to Osaka".
She boarded the Shinkansen hurriedly.

A fall from his head to the mat "complete neck injury of the cervical spinal cord", he was hanging on to life

<<From a massive frame of 96 meters, Takayama, with his brilliant technique was called "Emperor". He held the belt in various promotions. "The Emperor" has also been active in TV variety shows and dramas.>>

When Natsuko's husband had left the ring before, due to serious injury such as fracture to the fossa or cerebral infarction (stroke), he has returned every time. However, in the hospital intensive care unit where he was tracheal intubated, "I was wondering what I could do".
While in the ring, he mistakenly fell to the mat headfirst and could not move. The diagnosis was "complere damage to the cervical spinal cord."
She rented an apartment near the hospital for three months, and daily went to the intensive care unit. He survived the surgery and as a result from the neck down he could move his shoulders slightly. The rest of the body does not move at all.

At first he could not speak, and using a 50-tone chart, he talked in a format that was only one word at a time. It took a long time and it was frustrating for each other. They have a son who is at elementary school who he asked after, and he tried to tell him "still alive".
Visiting time was 40 minutes.

If he puts a brush in his mouth, he can draw a picture
"Now I am able to eat normal meals, my weight which dropped to 40kg is restoring, and if I put a brush in my mouth I can draw a picture. The goal is to operate a computer and a tablet in the future".

However, the duration of the rehabilitation is limited and he cannot stay in the same place forever. He has been transferred to another hospital, but again he needs to find another one. Natsuko wants to continue studying the the structure of the body and supporting rehabilitation.
Although she is scared, many people commented that "Mrs. Takayama is a kind person" and that "Indebted to you", she was surprised and thankful from the bottom of her heart.
On the 31st a wrestling event will be held at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, to support her husband. He is motivated and engaged in the matchmaking.

The support of the fans and the fellow wrestlers has become a strong motivation for her husband, who is saying "I will return". Like the strength of a man called Yoshihiro Takayama, they are strong together.

Link to original article from Yahoo.co.jp (in Japanese)