“New Jeans gave me courage, I will overcome this”… What is the touching story of a 61-year-old man battling cancer?

While the video of Hani, a member of girl group ‘New Jeans’, singing the Japanese song ‘Blue Coral’ (original title: 青い珊瑚礁) during a fan meeting has become a hot topic in Japan, the story of a Japanese man who said that he gained the courage to fight cancer through this performance has been shared.

On the New Jeans fan account ‘Bernie’s Animal Hospital’ where Hani uploaded the video of the stage on YouTube, a comment from a user who is presumed to be Japanese was recently posted. The user, who introduced himself as a 61-year-old man battling cancer, said, “(Through this stage) I was able to remember 44 years ago when every day was shining,” and “Thank you for giving me inspiration and courage. I will do my best to overcome cancer.”

Earlier, Hani performed a cover of “Blue Coral” at a local fan meeting held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 26th of last month. “Blue Coral” is a song released by Japanese singer Seiko Matsuda in 1980. This song is famous for stimulating nostalgia in many Japanese people, as it is a song that symbolizes the “golden age” of the Japanese economy, which was growing rapidly at the time.

In fact, Hani’s stage drew an explosive response in Japan. The stage video with the comment from a 61-year-old man has recorded 6.71 million views as of the 21st. ‘Blue Coral Reef’ was ranked high on Yahoo Japan’s rapidly rising search terms for the 4th week of June, and on the 16th, it also rose to number 1 on the Japanese song chart of domestic karaoke company Kumyoung Entertainment.

Amid this craze, a Japanese man who saw Hani’s video also seems to have gained the strength to overcome cancer. Korean netizens cheered the man on, saying, “You will definitely overcome this,” “Let’s go see Hani’s concert together after you recover,” and “Your life is still shining.” The man also responded, “I read your messages over and over again and am overcoming the pain with a grateful heart. Thank you.”

Listening to your favorite music can actually reduce pain caused by chemotherapy

If the comment about the man battling cancer is true, he may gain more than just courage. Research has shown that listening to your favorite music can actually make certain medications more effective.

A research team at Michigan State University in the United States obtained the results of a small pilot study conducted in March of last year that showed that cancer patients receiving chemotherapy could relieve nausea by listening to their favorite songs. In fact, the severity and level of pain caused by chemotherapy decreased.

The research team said, “It is difficult to determine whether these results are due to the gradual release of the drug or the effect of the music, but we have indeed confirmed that the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that causes nausea, is blocked.” They added, “In 10 to 20 years, it is possible to supplement cancer treatment with non-pharmacological interventions, such as listening to your favorite music.”