An update from the family of Shinjiro Otani.
Seven months ago, Shinjiro Otani suffered a cervical spinal cord injury in the main event of a Pro Wrestling ZERO1 show. He took a German suplex into a corner turnbuckle pad and could not move his extremities after taking the move.
Otani has since been paralyzed from the neck down and on 11/20, his family provided an update via his fundraiser site. They were open about the donations they’ve received and listed how much they’ve spent from those donations that have gone towards Otani’s treatment.
He remains paralyzed from the neck down, but his respiratory dysfunction improved. Below is the full update:
To all of you who have been supporting us
Seven months have passed since Shinjiro Otani suffered a serious cervical spinal cord injury at the Ryogoku Kokugikan show on April 10, 2022. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the many kindnesses and support we have received from many people during this time.
Since mid-April, we have had several discussions with family, relatives, related parties and affiliated organizations about how to support Shinjiro after his serious injury. We have decided to ask the organization to continue to fulfill its affiliation contract.
Since the announcement of the fundraising campaign on April 28, we have received many donations and condolences from supporters of Shinjiro Otani and people in the wrestling industry throughout Japan. Six months have passed since the fundraising campaign, and we would like to disclose the following information as of November 20, 2022:
* Total amount donated
26,019,224 yen (donation boxes at venues, use of website, money transfers and condolence money)* Expenditures from fundraising
5,791,813 yen (hospitalization, treatment, transportation between hospitals, private medical treatment, etc.)* Current fundraising balance
20,227,411 yen (We will pay for future hospitalization and treatment expenses, etc.)With the kindness of people all over Japan, Shinjiro Otani is currently undergoing treatment and rehabilitation based on a treatment plan (7 months), and his respiratory dysfunction has improved compared to the early stages of his disease, but unfortunately, there has been little improvement in his complete quadriplegic state (paralyzed from the neck down). In addition, due to the Coronavirus, we have only been able to visit family members and relatives, and have not been able to meet with any company officials, supporters or wrestlers.
Under these difficult circumstances, the hospital has provided him with a device that allows him to operate his phone with his chin, which he strongly requested, and we are sending out daily messages on Twitter expressing our gratitude for everyone’s kindness.
In addition, regarding future treatment and rehabilitation, we will repeatedly discuss with family and relatives, giving the highest priority to his wishes, and will seek new treatment methods without giving up. Once again, we would like to express our gratitude to all those who have supported Shinjiro Otani and ask for their continued support.
November 20, 2022
Shinjiro Otani’s family
This past June, ZERO1 held a benefit show for Otani which his sister was present for.
