Health Issues and Death
The Prince was first diagnosed with cancer in 1991, but later went into remission. He was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx in 2003, and immediately began treatment for it. In September 2006, he fractured his jaw, which had been weakened by his chemotherapy treatments. In 2007, the Prince made a public announcement that he was suffering from alcoholism, and was undergoing treatments at the Imperial Household Agency hospital. In March 2008, his cancer spread to his pharynx, and he underwent surgery. Although attempts were made to save his voice, he subsequently suffered from pneumonia caused by his inability to properly swallow food, and was thereafter only able to speak with the aid of a mechanical larynx.
On 6 June 2012, the Prince died from multiple organ failure at a Tokyo hospital, aged 66. He had been hospitalized for some time, as a result of his multiple cancer diagnosis. Around 660 people attended a funeral in Tokyo for Prince Tomohito. The ceremony, called "Renso no Gi," was held at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery in Bunkyo Ward. It was hosted by his oldest daughter, Princess Akiko. Attendees included his second daughter, Princess Yōko, Crown Prince Naruhito, Crown Princess Masako and other members of the Imperial Family, as well as Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.
Read more about this topic: Prince Tomohito Of Mikasa
Famous quotes containing the words health, issues and/or death:
“You will hardly know who I am or what I mean,
But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,
And filter and fibre your blood.
Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,
Missing me one place search another,
I stop somewhere waiting for you.”
—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)
“Your toddler will be “good” if he feels like doing what you happen to want him to do and does not happen to feel like doing anything you would dislike. With a little cleverness you can organize life as a whole, and issues in particular, so that you both want the same thing most of the time.”
—Penelope Leach (20th century)
“We like the chase better than the quarry.... And those who philosophize on the matter, and who think men unreasonable for spending a whole day in chasing a hare which they would not have bought, scarce know our nature. The hare in itself would not screen us from the sight of death and calamities; but the chase, which turns away our attention from these, does screen us.”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)