Hannya” Kawashima reveals “Wife’s words that saved me from despair.

I thought, “I’m going to die. And right away, I got angry and said, ‘Why now? I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Looking back, I was in a complete panic.

Akiyoshi Kawashima, 40, a comedian in the comedy duo Hannya, looks back on his cancer announcement, and in “Hannya Kawashima’s Comedy Cancer Survivor” (Fusosha), published on February 18, he describes in an upbeat and candid manner the events leading up to his complete recovery from cancer. The story has been well received.

I got the news the night I decided to propose to my wife, who I was dating at the time, and we went on a hot spring vacation. I had taken a physical exam a few weeks earlier, and I got a line from the doctor saying, ‘The results of the diagnosis have come back, so please come in for a checkup. It was 2014, and I was 32 years old.

Kawashima suffered a serious illness in his early 30s. Before he was diagnosed, he was leading an indolent lifestyle due to his busy schedule as a popular comedian.

After appearing on a gluttonous eating show, he would drink with his seniors until morning, finish up with ramen, and then go back to work in the morning. I had about two days off a month. Until then, I had never been hospitalized, and I had no reason to believe that I would never get sick. I couldn’t even say I had one of the three major diseases (laughs). So when I was told that I had cancer, I felt as if I was diving into a dark ocean. The scenery was different from what I could see before, and I felt as if I couldn’t breathe well. …… Looking back on it now, that feeling was more painful than the surgery and rehabilitation.

Kawashima was saved by his wife, Natsuki, who is eight years younger than him.

After receiving the news on a trip, I told Nacchan, ‘I’ve been told I have cancer. Then she said, ‘That’s great! I was so happy. The reason I took the physical exam in the first place was because I found out she was pregnant. I thought, “Since I am going to be a father, I might as well take the test. So Nacchan told me, ‘The cancer was found by the child. In my mind, that was the best answer.

If she had cried or something at that time, it would have been more painful. Her words really saved my life. When I boldly proposed to her, she said, ‘That’s not the time,’ and said OK, crying (laughs).

I met my beloved wife through an introduction by a senior comedian, Yoshiyuki Tsubokura (44) of “My Family.

I met Nacchan at a dinner party held by Mr. Tsubokura about a year before we were married. She was in her early 20s at the time, but when I asked her who her favorite comedians were, she answered in a stronger-than-expected style: ‘Beat Takeshi and Mr. Egashira. From there, I made a fierce attack. On our first date, I hugged her from behind and she usually hit me and ……. After that, we went on about 20 dates without holding hands and finally got together. Later, when I asked him what his first impression of me was, he said, ‘You’re not Kaneda.

He underwent kidney removal surgery in ’15, spent the rest of his life in rehabilitation, and overcame cancer in ’20. Now, he says, he is repeating new challenges every day.

I realized that you never know when you are going to die,” he says. I started to try things I wanted to do, such as YouTube. To be honest, before my illness, I didn’t really understand the phrase “live without regrets,” but now I do. I can now truly believe that it is important to live each day to the fullest. Having cancer has definitely changed my life.

Through his battle with cancer, his outlook on life has changed dramatically. Kawashima now lives his life as if he had emerged from the suffocating dark sea and is swimming freely in the shining ocean.

Hannya Kawashima’s Comedy Cancer Survivor” is now on sale! ( Book ) (e-book )

From the March 11, 2022 issue of FRIDAY