Yakkun (Yasutoshi Kodama) has been mechanically ventilated for over 14 years since he was an infant. His ailment, Werdnig-Hoffmann disease has got rid of the muscle strength to breath by himself. Werdnig-Hoffmann disease is one of the most devastating neurologic disorders which affects the most fundamental nerve cells responsible to human movement. Currently, the only movement he could make is eye movement, by which he could communicate with others. In most western countries, ventilating the patients with Werdnig-Hoffmann disease has been withheld because it is believed futile to live bed-ridden with mechnical ventilation. When we started his mechanical ventilation, there were stern criticisms on our judgement, since it was clearly described in most of the standard neurology textbooks that resuscitating the patients with Werdnig-Hoffmann disease should better be withheld. Despite these discouraging environments, the parents decided to take chance with ventilator. And after 14 years of endurance, Yakkun had started to show his inner feeling by choosing musical notes by his eye movements. Doctors, teachers and volunteers around him were struck by the beautiful and touching tune of notes he chose. This CD is a collection of his musical compositions. How could a man make such beautiful tunes out of "futile life"? We believe that it time to reconsider whether the life with ventilator is really futile or not. If you are interested in YakkunÕs CD, please send an ordinally (snail) mail or E-mail to the addresses below.
Yoichi Sakakihara
Synthesizer: Shigetoshi Kobayashi
Base: Kenzo Takahashi / Sacks: Tetsuro Hayashi / Dram: Satoshi Ito / Keyboard: Mitsuru Oyama / Guiter: Takashi Nogi
1st. Violin:Takeshi Shima /2nd. Violin:Shigeo Kondo /Viola:Michiaki Nagura /Cello:Manabu Tomita /Arrange:Mika Yamashita
Pipeorgan:Satoshi Takizawa
Flute:Asagi Yaginuma/ Piano:Atsuko Mikami
