Yuzuki Muroi’s “Insight” after Overcoming Pancreatic and Breast Cancer

She married Ryuichi Yoneyama (54), a member of the House of Representatives, in 2020. Writer Yuzuki Muroi, 51, has been busy with her new job as the wife of a politician. She is currently based in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, her husband’s hometown.

My husband’s supporters helped me find a house in Nagaoka, but they said, ‘I heard that the house is haunted, what should we do? On the contrary, I was very interested and thought, ‘I’ve never seen a ghost before, so I want to see one! So I started to live there. But I never saw any!”

Muroi laughs, “I don’t think I’m psychic,” but he says he feels spiritual when he reflects on his experience of overcoming two serious illnesses.

When I found out I had a tumor in my pancreas at the age of 35, and when I found out I had breast cancer three years ago, I felt like something was protecting me .

Many people know that Muroi raised her only son as a single mother, but she says that he is now more like a comrade in life than a son.

I’ve been healthy since I was a child, and I’ve never been sick. But because of my small pelvis, it took me 36 hours to give birth to my son, and it was a very difficult birth. I divorced before my son turned one year old. In order to raise my son on my own, I had to put in a lot of work, and I had 60 deadlines a month. Then one day, I felt as if someone was grabbing me around my midsection, and I started to feel a throbbing pain. I thought it was because I was too busy working, so I went to the hospital in 2005.

At the hospital, Muroi received an unexpected diagnosis: “I have a tumor in my pancreas.

I was told that I had a tumor on my pancreas, and I was like, ‘What? I was so shocked. He explained that if the tumor was malignant, the condition of the pancreas could worsen immediately, and that since the organ was located deep inside the body, it would be better to remove the tumor and have it examined immediately. At that time, my son was five years old. I thought, “I have to live for my son! I thought, “I have to live for my son,” and since I was sending money to my mother at the time, I thought, “I can’t die! So I immediately underwent the surgery. I didn’t have time to hesitate.

After the eight-hour surgery, Muroi surprised everyone with his actions.

I really wanted to smoke, so I walked to the smoking area and smoked every day while pushing the IV stand. When the doctor saw me, he said, ‘That’s great. He praised me for my perseverance.

Mr. Muroi smiles a lot. But that was not the only thing that surprised people around him.

After the surgery, I had catheter tubes attached to various parts of my body to drain blood, etc. I went from the hospital to the TV station to appear on the program. I was able to write a manuscript without losing a single line. People were worried about me, but I think my recovery was faster because I was moving around like that.

Fortunately, the tumor was benign, and his early return to work was made possible because the surgeon respected Mr. Muroi’s wishes. However, the doctor also said, “I have had my pancreas removed. However, the doctor also said that the removal of the pancreas might cause him to develop diabetes in the future. In fact, Mr. Muroi developed diabetes and is still undergoing treatment.

It has become a habit for me to measure my blood glucose level when I wake up in the morning and to take my medication every day. Now I can sense my blood sugar level. If I don’t take sugar now, I might get hypoglycemia,” she said. In the past, I had an experience where I experienced low blood sugar and my eyes went black, as if there was a blackout, so when I notice signs of low blood sugar, such as ‘I’m not answering (questions) correctly,’ I drink a bottle of juice to control my blood sugar.

There is one thing that Muroi keeps in mind when dealing with illness for a long time.

I am a layman when it comes to medicine, so I leave it to the professionals. That is why it is important to choose the right doctor. When I was invited to give a lecture at a diabetes conference, I was introduced to a hospital that provides the most advanced treatment, and I have been going there. Even beauty salons look for a place that suits them. I think it should be the same with hospitals. There is no such thing as a good fit between doctors and human beings. There is no doubt that doctors who study hard are better, and I think patients should be allowed to change doctors.

In 2019, Muroi announced that she had breast cancer. It was in the early stages, and her post-surgery progress is going well.

I discovered my breast cancer when I went out to dinner with a manga artist friend. I was so shocked to hear that my friend’s assistant had died of breast cancer that I thought about it when I was taking a bath after dinner. That day, there was something wrong with the plug of the bath, and the hot water had drained out. I had no choice but to touch my breasts while the water was being reheated. Then I felt a small lump on my finger. I panicked and called my friend.

My friend, who is usually very calm, told me to go to the hospital in a strong tone.

He said, ‘If you don’t go to the hospital tomorrow, I’ll break up with you. I wasn’t sure if they would see me right away, but I decided to call first thing the next morning. When I woke up, it was raining heavily. I was afraid that the hospital would be full of appointments, but due to the heavy rain, there was a cancellation and I was able to see the doctor right away. I was able to see a doctor who is considered an authority on breast cancer. The doctor assured me the moment he palpated me that it was definitely cancer. The result of the examination was stage 1 breast cancer; it was a small cancer. Since it was in the early stage, it had not metastasized, and I was to undergo surgery and radiation therapy.

Normally, I would have a hard time making an appointment for surgery, but it was during the Obon holidays, so there were no beds available. It was also fortunate that my doctor was not on Obon vacation.

The whole process, from the discovery of breast cancer to the treatment, went as smoothly as if I had been prepared for it. I felt as if something was protecting me. When I was young, I had a breast augmentation surgery in which a saline pack was inserted into my breast. When I had breast cancer surgery, I had the packs removed. This cured my stiff shoulders, which had been a problem for many years, and I realized that the breast augmentation had put a burden on my body.

Cosmetic surgery is becoming more and more fashionable, and even ordinary people are willing to announce their plastic surgery on social networking sites, lowering the bar. However, there is a downside to having breast implants, such as not being able to have a mammogram for breast cancer.

My breasts are quite small, partly due to the radiation treatment. At first I was worried about it, so I went to a plastic surgeon and tried to reshape them with hyaluronic acid, but they still started to fall apart. …… In terms of cancer treatment, people don’t understand that you don’t want your breasts to lose their shape. But for women, it is important to get rid of the cancer, and it is also important to want to keep the breasts. However, I have decided not to worry about my breasts anymore. Now, thanks to my regular visits to the hospital for breast cancer checkups and diabetes treatment, I am able to notice small changes in my body. I feel healthier than before I got sick.

Her only son is now a university student and has left Muroi’s hands.

Her only son is now a university student, and Muroi is no longer in charge of him. “I thought I would be lonely, but then my husband appeared. He was introduced to me by a friend, and on our second date, he asked me to go out with him on the premise of marriage. I’m always trying to be popular. If I become a politician, I won’t be popular, but I won’t become a politician!　And writing is the most powerful thing. It’s a job you can do even if you’re in jail for a crime!　I’m just kidding, of course (laughs).