Hiromichi Sato, who played the role of "Big Brother Hiromichi" on the NHK children's program "Okaasan to Issho," and his wife Kumiko will be appearing on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi), which will air from 1:00 p.m. on February 14th.
Hiromichi was the "Big Brother Exercise" on the show "Okaasan to Issho" from 1993 to 2005. After that, he worked as a gymnastics instructor and a TV personality, but in June last year, he suffered a spinal cord infarction that left him paralyzed from the waist down and he was rushed into hospital. Although he walked on stage this time, he is still paralyzed and is undergoing daily rehabilitation.
Spinal cord infarction is a disease in which the blood flow to the spinal cord is cut off, causing paralysis and sensory abnormalities in the lower body. The stroke first occurred on the day he was heading to work in Tottori. He was in so much pain on the plane that he was unable to move, and went to the hospital immediately after landing. Learning that there was no effective treatment for the disease, he was in despair at the thought of continuing a life in which he could not walk, and even wished he had died. It was his wife and two sons that helped him recover from his rock bottom days.
His wife Kumiko, who has been by his side since he collapsed, has cheerfully supported her husband as he works hard at rehabilitation, determined to walk again. Messages from people with the same disease and encouragement from his fans keep Hiromichi positive. Eight months after those days of despair, the Sato couple, who are cherishing the present, talk about their current thoughts.
