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:
“To safeguard one’s health at the cost of too strict a diet is a tiresome illness indeed.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)
“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.”
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“I’ve been cursed for delving into the mysteries of life. Perhaps death is sacred, and I’ve profaned it. Oh, what a wonderful vision it was. I dreamed of being the first to give to the world the secret that God is so jealous of, the formula for life. Think of the power, to create a man. And I did, I did it, I created a man. And who knows, in time I could have trained him to do my will. I could have bred a race, I might even have found the secret of eternal life.”
—William Hurlbut (1883–?)