Photo/Illutration A communication board used by an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient shows the Japanese syllabary and numbers. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A reader of this column gave me a book, strongly recommending it in an attached letter.

Written by Akihide Tanikawa, 76, who taught at Chiba University and Tsukuba University, the book moved me so deeply that I visited him at his home.

After retirement, he devoted himself to his hobby of toponymy research.

But four years ago, he experienced severe anorexia, losing 10 kilograms in just one week.

Before long, he was tripping and falling.

Tanikawa was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease, which causes loss of muscle control.

He wrote about his experience in a book titled “ALS wo Ikiru” (Living with ALS).

“His abilities to read, write and hear, as well as his memory, haven’t been affected at all,” said his wife, Noriko, 75.

As he has trouble speaking, Noriko acts as his “interpreter” with a handmade acrylic board that shows the “kana” Japanese syllabary and numbers, among other symbols.

He stares at them, one by one, and Noriko follows his gaze and reads out each symbol.

“I want to write a book that will benefit future generations--an account of my battle against the disease that makes me want to live so badly,” Tanikawa told me through the communication board.

“Pedagogy was the first act of my life,” he noted. “Toponymy research was the second. Now, I am in the third act, conveying the realities of ALS.”

British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who died four years ago, famously said: “Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind, I am free.”

After developing ALS in his 20s, he traveled the world in a wheelchair. He continued to speak of the mysteries of the universe through an artificial voice and inspired many people.

Tanikawa, too, is extraordinarily active.

Using a special computer, he has completed his second book on ALS and also sends words of support to statements calling for a Russian cease-fire in Ukraine.

I was greatly encouraged by his impassioned words, which reached me from behind the transparent board.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 1

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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