Yakult Hideki Nagaoka
Photo By Sponichi
TBS’s sports documentary “Birthday” (Saturday after 5:00) will be broadcast on the 2nd, in which Yakult infielder Hideki Nagaoka (22) becomes a donor for his mother, who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was a freshman in high school. talked about it.
Nagaoka, a native of Chiba Prefecture, joined Yakult from Yachiyo Shoin in 5th place in the 2019 draft. In 2022, his third year out of high school, he took up the position of regular shortstop and played in 139 games, becoming the youngest player in team history to win the Golden Glove Award, which is awarded to the best defensive player. He contributed to the team’s consecutive Central League titles. Last season, his jersey number was also upgraded from 58 to a single-digit number 7. He is expected to lead the next generation of Yakult.
However, when Nagaoka was in his first year of high school, it was discovered that his mother, Ayako, was suffering from leukemia. What’s more, her doctor said that she had a particularly bad type of cancer, and anti-cancer treatment was not very effective, so a hematopoietic stem cell transplant was considered effective. Test results showed that her brother and sister’s white blood cell types did not match. The one who was closest to me was my youngest son, Nagaoka.
When Nagaoka found out about her mother’s illness, she said, “I was speechless,” and “I couldn’t believe it was my mother…” After becoming a donor and receiving an injection to increase white blood cells, they experience severe pain in their lower back, so they have to take a period of rest, and because painkillers don’t work, some people are unable to sleep at night and end up in the hospital.
Although it was a heavy burden on her body, she said, “I immediately said, ‘I’ll do it.” She added, “I had a feeling of fear that my mother might disappear, but I didn’t have that fear. I immediately decided to become a donor for my beloved mother.
Once he actually started receiving the injections, he was unable to stand on the field for more than a week, and says that there were times when he was so sore he couldn’t even sit due to the pain in his lower back caused by the injections.
“It took a toll on my body. I had to leave school a little early, go to school late, take some days off… Yeah. Thanks to that. I can’t thank you enough, really,” he recalls. Ayako-san.
Although the transplant surgery was successful, there were complications, and my mother’s battle with the disease continued for about two years. During that time, the mothers of her classmates took turns making Nagaoka’s bento. Thanks to the support of many people, she received the number 6 uniform in the fall of her first year of high school. She even delivered the uniform to her mother in her hospital room and had her number sewn onto it.
“I worked hard because I wanted to look good to my mother,” Nagaoka said. In the summer of his third year of high school, he lost in the Chiba Prefecture final and was unable to go to Koshien. I didn’t have the confidence to play baseball in college, so I thought about quitting baseball, but my mother, who had recovered enough to come to the stadium to cheer me on, pushed me and said, “If you don’t play, they won’t pick you up.” I submitted my application to become a professional. He was successfully drafted by Yakult and continues to work there today.
My mother is currently in remission with only check-ups once every three months. She is said to be taking her girlfriends to the ballpark as well. Nagaoka said, “I don’t often get in touch with my mother, but sometimes when I call her, it lasts an hour and a half, sometimes two hours.I feel amazing that she must be happy without me knowing.More and more. I have a strong desire to make them happy,” he said, reaffirming his commitment to his future endeavors.
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2024-03-04 13:03:00
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