I am a selfish man and by selfish
I mean obsessive driven and intense let
me tell you from the time I was 12 years
old in Tokyo my dream my passion my life
was come to America to play the oboe to
play with world-class musicians in 1990
my dream came true at the age of 26 I
became a member of the Boston Symphony
Orchestra music was my life
and life was good then two and a half
years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4
throat cancer
and my life stopped I went straight for
my first treatment of radiation and
chemo and my the side effects were
horrible my doctor told me even if you
survive from this you might never play
the oboe again there is a even a high
probability you will lose your taste
your saliva and sense of smell
completely because of the radiation
treatment unfortunately I was 55 what
choice did I have
I was facing a life without music but a
life without my wife a life without
watching my daughter grow up that was
far far worse
several weeks into the treatment I had
lost 50 pounds and also all my taste
all my saliva all my sense of smell and
I was so weak I could even blow into my
instruments and one day doctor said you
will probably have a leak in the soft
palate so you won't be able to play the
oboe they told me you will have to quit
the BSO during my treatment what gave me
what gave me a hope was my wife and my
daughter my daughter Clara came to my
room and providing for me and I thought
that was so sweet
it gave me strength to go through the
pain of 35 rounds of radiation and seven
rounds of chemo and without my wife and
my daughter probably I'm not here and
they gave me life and also they gave me
a spirit then one day finally doctor
came up to me they said we killed your
Chancellor can you please try to play
the oboe force I thought they're joking
I was embedded Barry made it hospital
but I tried and some sound I guess some
notes came up like this
[Music]
it didn't sound good to me
but the doctors were shocked stare and
be and shocked and I didn't know but
they're shocked and then they are
overjoyed not only was cancer gone there
was no leak in my soft palate fifteen
months later I was back at the Boston
Symphony Orchestra and I could play
music like this again
[Music]
it was it is some kind of miracle and
now I think even if I have an accidental
accident or get sick in the future I am
already because of all that love I
received for which I feel very thankful
I know every man has a time and I can
accept that
I believe my driven personality played a
role in my recovery to bringing me here
today I was so determined to get better
to play the oboe as a part of Boston
Symphony Orchestra okay more importantly
what I learned from the older love and
care I received I got in the hospital
from doctors translated into my music
and now when people listen to me play
they say there's more emotion in my
music I think I know why
finally I know why the music and love
saved me and I would like to think that
because of what I went through my music
can be heating to others giving them
comfort and peace
to end on the better note I would like
to share with you with sweetness or
playing with my daughter Kara she's 13
years old both of us are going to play a
music by Schubert
[Applause]
[Music]
you
[Applause]