Playback ’15] Katsuya Nomura and Satchi’s “battle against illness” – “Theories that he is bedridden due to a serious illness”…

What did “FRIDAY” report 10, 20, or 30 years ago? In “Playback Friday,” we take a look back at the topics that were hot at the time. This time, we look back at “Ganbare Nomu-san,” which appeared in the April 10, 2003 issue 10 years ago!　I was moved by the way he moved forward step by step, borrowing Satchi’s shoulder.

Katsuya Nomura (79 at the time), a.k.a. Mr. Nomu, left many legends in the baseball world, including leading the Yakult Swallows to three Japan championships as manager of the “ID Baseball” team. However, he had not been seen in public since October 2002, when he became ill and left his regular program “S☆1” (TBS). At the end of that year, he canceled his annual family trip to Hawaii. He also canceled his visit to a professional baseball camp in 2003, and there were even whispers that he was seriously ill. The following is a scoop article that captured Nomu in such a state. All ages and titles are current as of the time of the article).

He had lost nearly 20 kg of weight…

Is this that Nomu-san? ……

The man in the aisle of the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo is unmistakably baseball critic Katsuya Nomura, 79. He is still wearing the same jacket and flashy outfit as before, but the impression is completely different. He has lost weight. His cheeks are flushed and his entire body has become thinner. The hair on his head was also somewhat thin.

At his side was his wife, Sachiyo (82), also known as Satchi. She is as gorgeous as ever, but she does not act like a fiercely married woman. She is lending her shoulder to Mr. Nom. Satchi is walking slowly, like a bride walking down the aisle. With her left hand on his shoulder, Nomu-san walks as if she is chewing each step. Good luck, Nomu-san!　I couldn’t help but call out to him on the night of March 17.

The reason for Nomu’s disappearance from the stage in the fall of 2002 was due to a recurrence of a past illness.

　”Five years ago, he was hospitalized once for a dissecting aortic aneurysm in his chest, which seems to have recurred. This disease causes a bump on the inside of the aorta, and if left untreated, 60% of patients die within a week. Last time he was treated with antihypertensive drugs, but this time he underwent surgery. The operation was a success, but he was in the intensive care unit until the end of last year and has lost nearly 20 kg.

The prevailing theory among baseball and media people was that “Mr. Nomu was seriously ill and bedridden. However, since the end of 2002, Satchi has stubbornly denied the “serious illness theory,” saying, “He is only not appearing on TV because he is still giving lectures. His son, Katsunori (41), also responded to media inquiries, saying, “There is no problem at all.

Satchi told the people around him, “Don’t tell anyone! Satchi has issued a gag order on the illness, saying, “Don’t tell anyone! However, Nom’s health has been improving recently, and he is able to walk with support, and his doctor has advised him to go out as much as possible, so he often eats at his favorite hotel restaurant.

On February 19, 2003, two days after the scene described at the beginning of this article, this magazine also witnessed Nom’s healthy appearance at the New Otani.

Direct hit on Saatchi.

It was 8:00 pm. He was at the hotel’s Japanese-style restaurant, which sells the “best breakfast. Surrounding the table were Satchi, Katsunori and his wife and children, a total of six people. Mr. Nom smilingly gazes at his grandchildren and munches on his salad.

After 9:30, Katsunori’s family leaves the restaurant first, but Mr. and Mrs. Nom stay behind to enjoy conversation. 10:30, Mr. Nom finally stands up, holding onto the table, and Satchi approaches. Mr. Nom again put his hand on his wife’s shoulder and slowly, step by step, headed for the hotel exit, where he was picked up by a car and driven back to his home. 》

Later that day, this magazine again contacted Saatchi directly. The magazine asked him about Nom’s condition.

I heard that your husband had an operation.

No, he did not. No, there is no such thing. I wonder who is saying that. I haven’t been in the hospital since I broke my leg 10 years ago.

–I saw him again, and he seemed to be in good health.

“I’m giving a lecture in Koenji again today.”

–He was walking with his hand on his wife’s shoulder.

That was on purpose, on purpose. I don’t know if she’s being sweet or what, but sometimes she does that.

Satchi literally supported her husband. With her presence, it seemed certain that Mr. Nom would come back to life.

Mr. Nom got better, but…

After all, Mr. Nom was not defeated by his illness. A short time after this magazine scooped him, Nomu returned to the public stage. He could be heard “blabbing” on TV and at events as before. In his later years, his legs and back became weak, and he sometimes appeared at events in a wheelchair, but in 1919, he took the batting position at an alumni game commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Yakult baseball team, supported by Atsuya Furuta, Mitsuru Manaka, and others.

But in ’17, something unexpected happened: on December 8, Satchi died of ischemic heart failure. The day before, the couple had dined together at a hotel. At the “farewell party” held in January of the following year, Nom tearfully said, “When I was in a tight spot, there was always a time when I had to go to the hospital.

At the farewell party held in January of the following year, Ms. Nom tearfully said, “When I was in a difficult situation, she was always positive and saved me with a single word, ‘It’s okay. （The day she passed away, she had her head on the table in the living room and wouldn’t move. I patted her on the back and said, ‘Are you okay? and she responded with a single word of encouragement, “I’m fine. That was the last time. ……”

On February 11, 2008, Nom passed away from ischemic heart failure (aged 84), the same as Satchi. In the afterlife, they must have been close to each other as this magazine witnessed in the past.