Former Kintetsu Pitcher with Amputated Arm Plans to Throw Strikes with His Left Arm This December!

My lungs are white, my blood sugar is 350.

The first signs of trouble came several years after his retirement when Sano was in his late thirties.

“I had a persistent cough that just wouldn’t go away. I thought it was strange, but since I didn’t have a fever, I figured it would eventually settle down. At that time, I was working freelance in baseball, so I didn’t have any health check-ups. However, it went on for too long, and my family told me I should go to the hospital. Reluctantly, I went to see a doctor and found out my lungs were completely white. I was told I had mild pneumonia and needed to be hospitalized. They did a blood test for preparation, and that’s when they discovered I had diabetes. My blood sugar level was over 350.”

During his playing days, Sano had been a big eater, often saying, “Sleep deprivation and lack of stamina can be covered by eating.” After night games, he would go out for sushi with teammates, devouring five trays of nigiri and then enjoying ramen. After a nightclub visit, he’d feast on yakiniku at 5 a.m. before going to bed. Even during his career, his blood sugar levels were on the high side, but they would return to normal quickly if he practiced moderation.

However, after retiring, due to a significant decrease in physical activity, even with dietary restrictions and reduced carbohydrates, his numbers weren’t improving as expected. He began insulin injections around 2016, but his levels plateaued around 180, and his struggle continued.

“Five years ago, I entered a cycle of being hospitalized repeatedly. Despite losing weight, my body was swelling and I was having trouble breathing. When I consulted my doctor, he told me, ‘You have heart failure,’ and I was placed in the ICU. Over the next six months, I experienced heart failure four times. The doctor warned me, ‘With this much heart failure, your kidneys must be suffering too,’ so I reluctantly started dialysis, which I had been adamantly avoiding.”

Sano also faced the progression of arteriosclerosis, requiring four balloon angioplasties in his blood vessels. One day while receiving outpatient treatment for dialysis, he fell asleep in front of a kerosene heater and woke up to find he had developed a low-temperature burn on his toes.

“I was terrified of infection, so I rushed to the hospital for care. After some time, I thought it had healed, but when I started walking again, I felt pain in the soles of my feet. I initially thought it was fasciitis, but it turned out to be an infection that had spread to my heart. As a result, they had to amputate my middle toe from the base. This is the frightening aspect of diabetes: even after losing a toe, it didn’t hurt that much. I think the anesthesia played a part, but my nerves were likely damaged due to the diabetes. That’s why I didn’t even realize I had a low-temperature burn.”