Shinji Takehara Reveals His Comeback from Stage 4 Cancer and the Worst Days of His Life

Around 2013, Shinji Takehara (49) began suffering from health problems. He was convinced that there was something wrong with him, and he would urinate so frequently and feel the need to leave urine behind so often that he had to go to the bathroom several times while sleeping. I consulted with my doctor at the time many times. Each time, however, he would say, “There is nothing wrong with you. It’s probably a chronic cystitis or prostate infection caused by inactivity.

The only thing they recommended was a test for sexually transmitted diseases. “Didn’t you have sex with a strange man, Champion? He asked me lightly. However, about a year later, on New Year’s Eve 2013, I felt the need to urinate, went to the bathroom and couldn’t believe my eyes.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I went to the bathroom and found bright red blood on the toilet bowl. When I called my doctor, he finally said, ‘I will write a referral letter. At the hospital I was referred to, I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The test results showed that the tumor was 2.5 cm in size and had reached the muscle layer. It was stage 4. The five-year survival rate is less than 25%. It may have metastasized to the lymphatic system. If you don’t start treatment as soon as possible, you don’t know what will happen.’ I was filled with fear that I was going to die.

I felt that something was wrong with my body, but I believed my doctor’s words and left the cancer untreated for over a year, and I was filled with regret. However, even after I found out that I had …… cancer, my doctor did not apologize for the delay in discovering it, nor did he worry about my condition.　Are you going to hold a press conference? I thought, ‘This guy is no good. I thought, ‘This guy is no good,’ and at the same time, I regretted it deeply.”

Takehara was so shocked that she could not accept the diagnosis of “stage 4 bladder cancer. He visited a famous cancer doctor and sought a second and third opinion.

But no matter which hospital I went to or which doctor I saw, the answer was the same. I have stage 4 bladder cancer. The worst-case scenario is that I have one year to live. I cried out loud in the car on the way home when I was told that I should have my entire bladder removed.

It was at a local hospital that I received a third opinion. I thought about having the surgery there, but it was difficult to commute to the hospital, so I had the procedure done at a hospital that was easy to get to from home. However, a few days before he was admitted to the hospital, his good friend and co-owner of the gym, Takanori Hatayama (46), former WBA World Lightweight Champion, suggested that he have the surgery at the University of Tokyo Hospital, and he decided to get a force opinion.

I’ve known Hatayama for a long time. After my wife, Hatayama was the first person I told about my cancer. When I told him that I might have to have my entire bladder removed, he was as shocked as I was. At the time, somewhere deep inside of me, I was thinking, “Even if I have the surgery, I might not survive. Hatayama saw through my feelings and recommended the University of Tokyo Hospital as if to tell me off. Even so, I was on the verge of giving up, thinking, ‘I’m not going to survive, I’m going to die,’ until I got a force opinion. I was on the verge of giving up, thinking, ‘I’m not going to make it, I’m going to die.

But the doctor at the University of Tokyo Hospital was close in age to me, very easy to talk to, and explained the treatment method and post-treatment rehabilitation in detail. He explained about the treatment method and rehabilitation after the treatment in detail. I believed in his words, “There is a possibility that you can live longer if you have a total cystectomy. I’m willing to take anti-cancer treatment, surgery, or anything to live!　I’m willing to take anti-cancer treatment, surgery, whatever it takes!

Takehara, the first Japanese middleweight world champion, struck a fighting pose, threatening his opponent at close range in a wild fight. Still, he felt crushed with anxiety until the treatment began.

I knew I had bladder cancer in my body, but I was anxious about waiting and doing nothing until the day of the surgery. I was even relieved when the anticancer drugs started to be administered. Initially, the plan was to do four courses of anticancer drug treatment, but after two courses, the cancer had shrunk considerably. So we decided to stop the anticancer drug treatment. I went in for a total cystectomy on the premise that I would resume the administration of anticancer drugs if necessary.

The surgery to remove the entire bladder and to make an artificial bladder using part of the bowel was a major operation that lasted 12 hours. When he woke up after the surgery, he was surprisingly calm.

I was in a daze, thinking, ‘It’s over. The anesthesia was working for a while after I woke up, so there was not much pain. However, when the anesthesia wore off, I was hit with unimaginable pain.

I underwent surgery using the da Vinci, a surgical robot that was one of only two in Japan at the time. I was told that the wound would be small and that there would be no bleeding or pain, but in reality, it was quite painful. The bleeding from the surgery made me very anemic, and I could not do rehabilitation as much as I wanted to. I was able to overcome this because of the support of my wife.

My wife kept encouraging me every day, saying, ‘You are better than yesterday. She told me that she would never let me die, even though I had put her through so much trouble. I don’t think I could have gotten through this alone. No matter how much I thank my wife, I can’t thank her enough.

Although the fear of recurrence persisted, he set various goals, such as traveling with his beloved family and improving his hobby of golf, which gave him hope for life. She reviewed her diet, avoiding foods that are said to contain carcinogens. She reached out to health foods that were said to be effective against cancer. More than five years after her surgery, the doctor told her that she would be cured.

I’m so glad I didn’t give up. When I was told by the doctor that I had bladder cancer, I thought ‘cancer = death. But now, with the advancement of medicine, that is not the case. So please don’t give up. Besides, people always die. If that’s the case, you should enjoy your life.

Although he lost the case after nearly three years in court, he said, “I couldn’t overlook the lack of sincerity of the doctor who kept running away and refused to apologize. I didn’t want the case to end like this,” she said without regret. I’ve reached a certain point in my life.

Recently, he has been focusing on his YouTube channel, “Takehara TV,” and has been sending out various messages. His goal is to produce a new champion from his gym.