To My Husband in the Bright Red Jacket

There was one person at the hospital who stood out more than anyone else.

A man who tied his long hair back,
wore a bright red New Japan Pro-Wrestling jacket,
and came to my hospital room every single day.

That person was my husband.

My husband and I love professional wrestling.

Before the new category of mixed martial arts was created,
up until the time when Giant Baba was still alive,
is what I consider the peak of professional wrestling.

I like the wrestlers who execute flashy moves, too.

But I am also drawn to the wrestlers who honestly and stoically take their opponent's moves.

Actually, taking the moves often requires more physical strength and sense
than delivering them.

All Japan Pro-Wrestling or New Japan Pro-Wrestling?

I have favorite wrestlers in both,
but if I had to choose, I'm an All Japan fan.

And yet, people around us
might think that we are 'New Japan fans'.

That is because,
when he came to visit me at the hospital where I was admitted,
my husband was always
wearing that bright red New Japan Pro-Wrestling jacket.

My husband is a painter and doesn't work for a company.

So he isn't tied down by work hours.

He would arrive as soon as visiting hours began,
and stay in the room until the very last minute.

He ties his long hair back in a ponytail,
is tall,
and has a big-boned, sturdy build.

Plus, he's always wearing that bright red jacket.

He has so many distinctive features
that people might be a little wary of him when they first meet him (laughs).

However, contrary to his appearance,
my husband is a gentle person.

He sits in the chair by my bedside,
spending time quietly.

He isn't very sociable,
but when you talk to him, he has very firm opinions of his own.

And, surprisingly, he is quite funny.

The man in the bright red jacket
who comes every day
and wanders around the gynecology ward.

My husband eventually became a celebrity.

"Your husband is here."

Fellow patients even started coming to my room
to let me know before he arrived.

Even the nurses

"Hello"

started greeting him before they greeted me.

However, sometimes the nurses would say,

"Could your husband please wait outside?"

That would happen occasionally.

My husband once collapsed in my hospital room.

He watched them drawing my blood,
and he just crumbled to the floor.

He has a phobia of blood.

I knew that.

But my head was foggy from the treatment, and I didn't have the strength to tell the nurse.

I thought to myself that he should just not look.

But it seems he tried his best in his own way.

The result was a total collapse.

Even though he is the type of person who turns pale just by seeing the character for 'plate' because it makes him imagine 'blood'.

What a reckless thing to do (lol).

Every single day.
Even on days with extreme heat.
Even on days when snow was fluttering down.
Even during Golden Week.

Except for the days when he absolutely could not come due to work,
my husband came to the hospital for me.

Eventually, I came to recognize my husband
by the sound of his footsteps echoing from afar.

He came again today.

Just that alone gave me strength.

It made me feel like I could endure the treatment
again today.

My husband watched over every treatment
from the chair in my hospital room.

Wearing his bright red jacket.

A few days ago, I was able to celebrate
my sixth year of remission from cervical cancer.

Coming from a state where the disease had progressed too far for surgery,
reaching this point
feels nothing short of a miracle.

It is thanks to my family who supported me,
the medical staff,
and the encouragement of so many people.

And above all else,
what is burned into my memory

is the sight of my husband,
sitting in a chair in my hospital room every single day in his bright red jumper.

Once again,
thank you so much.

*Information regarding daily life and meals during my battle with the illness is compiled in this magazine.