Japanese doctor walks 2,000 miles to fight cancer

Dr. Tadao Kakizoe, president of the Japan Cancer Society, talks about his 3,500-kilometer walk to fight cancer at a Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center and the Global Bridges Healthcare Alliance for Tobacco Dependence Treatment discussion on Thursday.

By By Anne Halliwell ahalliwell@rochestermagazine.com and Anne Halliwell

October 29, 2018 at 8:15 AM

For Tadao Kakizoe, the journey of 2,175 miles began with a single step.

On Thursday, Kakizoe, the president of Japan’s Cancer Society, addressed Mayo Clinic staff hosted by the hospital’s Nicotine Dependence Center.

One in every two people in Japan will be diagnosed with cancer during the course of their lives, Kakizoe said, making it an extremely common disease with a more than 60 percent recovery rate.

Of the 1 million people who are diagnosed every year, many still believe that a cancer diagnosis probably will lead to death within five or so years, he said.

"Still, many people suffer from isolation and fear," Kakizoe said. "Even though cancer is becoming a curing disease."

He espouses Japan’s survivor support group, the GSC (Gan Survivor Club), as a way of combating fear and stigma. But membership (paid) has been low, he said, and many patients still saw their diagnoses as a death sentence.

"I thought, ‘Something is necessary,’" he said

To raise awareness for survivor support, Kakizoe, a two-time cancer survivor himself, decided to visit and speak at each of the 32 main cancer centers in Japan. And to ensure his visits meant something, he walked to each one -– a nearly six-month, 3,500-kilometer journey that started in February.

The reaction from his peers, Kakizoe said, was "initially negative," as he would celebrate his 77th birthday during the nationwide walk.

He began in the snow at the south end of Japan (Kyushu Island), and gradually made his way north, bouncing back and forth from coast to coast.

Although Kakizoe occasionally had company, about 70 percent of that walk was completed on his own.

During one memorable two-day stretch on his way to Tokyo, he remembered checking his route often on his iPhone, only to have the screen go black after the tumultuous weather.

Still, as the winter melted into spring, then summer, his conditions improved.

"After the snow, cherry blossoms started to bloom," Kakizoe said. "After that, fresh green leaves are coming from south to north, and I’m walking that way."

The doctor averaged 20 kilometers (12 miles) per day, he said, depending on his level of exhaustion.

And on July 23, it ended.

"The trip itself is finished, but the importance of cancer survivors continues," Kakizoe said.