A woman with an incurable disease that gradually stops her muscles from moving flew into the sky on a paraglider. We interviewed her for the six months from the death of her beloved husband to her rising to the challenge. Yumi Suda, 48 years old. She suffers from an incurable disease and cannot move her arms and legs. Yumi Suda, who is fighting an incurable disease, said, "I wonder why I have such a rare disease. I wonder what will happen to me in the future." Yumi's disease is a nationally designated incurable disease called "distal myopathy." It is a disease that gradually stops muscles from moving, and there is no fundamental treatment or medication. It is rare in Japan, and it is said that there are only about 400 people with this disease. It was her husband, Masami, who supported her in her life of fighting the disease with no clear future. Yumi said, "My husband also had a handicap of having had one arm amputated. There was a website where people with disabilities could interact with each other, and it was there that I happened to meet my husband." Yumi was attracted to Masami, who had a very positive personality and was very active, and the two got married when Yumi was 29 years old. Yumi: "My husband loved driving, so he took me all over the place, and we even went to Hokkaido. At that time, I was still able to do a lot on my own, so I did what I could as a wife, like doing the housework, doing the laundry, cooking, and we had a fun life." At work, she received support from her colleagues, and everything seemed to be going well. It was at that time that Masami suddenly collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away. Yumi: "I was thinking how lucky I was to have him, but then he passed away, and I wondered why I was always going through all this. I wondered if I would always be like this in the future. At that time, I had no hope at all, and I just wanted to go to where my husband was." This year, about four years after Masami's death, the helper's words, "Is there anything you want to do?" reminded her of something. Yumi: "We watched a French movie called 'The Intouchables,' and there was a scene in it where a person with a severe disability was paragliding, and when I saw that, I thought, wow, I want to fly, too." The morning of her paragliding challenge. Yumi: (Q. What did you pray for (to your husband, Masami)?) I prayed for a safe flight, for the weather to hold, and above all for a safe return. (Q. Did you want to fly together?) I think we probably would have flown together. With the help of her friends, she got into a paragliding wheelchair. She attempted the approximately 10-minute flight from the mountaintop, 1,060 meters above sea level. Instructor: "You don't seem scared, Suda." Yumi: "I am quite scared, but I'm looking forward to it." "Thank you everyone. Thank you for everything." Yumi: "Wow, that feels great, wow, amazing." Yumi soared into the sky. For her, it was a world where she could feel freedom. Yumi: "I can't believe I'm flying like this. Oh, it feels so good. Amazing, it's almost over." "It was the best. The wind felt so good I didn't want to come down." "(Q: Did you think about your illness while you were flying?) I didn't think about that at all. The sky was a wonderful world, like I was part of nature." Yumi was able to take on a challenge with a positive attitude. There is also some bright spot regarding her illness. A new drug for "distal myopathy" that had never existed before was approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in March of this year. In fact, Yumi first heard about the new drug about 16 years ago. It was difficult to make a profit because of the small number of patients, and it took a long time to develop. Yumi: "When I finally got to the point where I could actually take (the new drug), I was honestly very happy. However, my symptoms have progressed quite a bit, so to be honest, I wish I could take it a little sooner." Yumi says that flying in the sky has changed something. Yumi: "If it's up to me, I can achieve what I want to do." "(Q: What's your next goal?) I want to climb Mount Fuji. I want to travel abroad." [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp