全文檢索
Home>Service> Awardees of Fervent Global Love of Lives Award> 17th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2014> Suzuki Rintaro , Japan—The Piano Fighter
 [Playing the music of hope with six fingers]

I suffer from serious Down syndrome and I have multiple deformities, but I never give up. I try again and again, and I become able to play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and then Mozart, and then Beethoven. By playing the piano, I find hope in my life.
—Suzuki Rintaro
 
A mentally-retarded child with multiple disabilities
When Suzuki Rintaro was born in Japan in 1991, he was diagnosed with serious Down syndrome and multiple deformities. He had no wrist on his right arm, his left foot was everted, he had no anus and he had congenital heart defect.

However, Rintaro never gave up any chance to learn. His parents accompanied him all the way through kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, and Rintaro finally graduated from a high school for the disabled.

While suffering from such illnesses, Rintaro never complained and always listened to his parents and the doctors. He has undergone 11 times of anal surgery and seven times of heart surgery. He spent a lot of his time staying at the hospital. 
 
Learning hard
To let Rintaro live and learn like other children, his parents decided that he go to ordinary elementary school. Although Rintaro was already seven, his physiological and mental age stopped growing at three years old. All the other children learn everything quickly, but Rintaro could do nothing. He needed to spend much more time to learn what may be a piece of cake for other children. In PE classes and art classes, Rintaro was always alone. But he never lost his heart, and his parents were patient about everything.

Meeting with the piano
One day when Rintaro’s father just returned home from work, his wife said to him excitedly, “Come and listen!” Rintaro was sitting in front of his toy piano, playing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” which he had just learned at school, with one finger on his left hand. Rintaro’s parents were surprised and excited. They sang along with the beautiful melody played by their child with tears rolling down their cheeks.
 
Playing with six fingers, finding hope
At first, Rintaro played the piano with only one finger, but he slowly learned to play with all five fingers on his left hand, and later he also played with a part of his right wrist, and found hope with his “six” fingers. His skilled also improved greatly. At first, Rintaro could not sit in front of the piano for more than five minutes, but he came to handle Mozart’s and Beethoven’s pieces, and many other classical masterpieces. In his every recital and every piece of music, Rintaro showed his confidence, his gratitude, and all possibilities of life. He was also telling everyone in the world that all things in their being are good for something.
 
Devoting himself to charity
Rintaro has spent much of his life staying at the hospital. He has also undergone the great Hanshin earthquake. Thus, he has strong empathy for the victims of natural disasters, orphans, and people who suffer from illness. With the company of his parents, Rintaro often travels far away to encourage people in disaster-stricken areas, hospitals, and orphanges. He also takes part in many charity performances in Canada and Southeast Asia and shares his life experience with other people. 
 
Climbing Mount Fuji
Everyone should go on an adventure, at least once in a lifetime.
Everyone should get to the top of his own mountain of life.
“Mount Fuji is as high as 12,389 feet, overlooking Japan. In spring, fragrant azyleas bloom in the mountain. In autumn, the forests turn fire red, and then to different shades of brown.” This is an excerpt from Rintaro’s parents’ note, which is about their ten-year plan to conquer Mount Fuji. Rintaro also wanted to get to the top of Mount Fuji, so he started his training plan when he was 11. He attended more and more outdoor activities to train himself, such as hiking, cycling, and hill climbing. At the age of 21, Rintaro successfully stood on the top of Mount Fuji. Japanese were amazed at this feat. Rintaro’s story has proven that as long as one works hard, that person can reach the highest mountain of his/her life.