Summer Vacation and a Heart Attack in Japan
Paul Karrer.
"A chess player never has a heart attack in a good position" — Bent Larsen
Summers for kids and educators alike are a time to relax and get one’s body and brain rested. Once upon a summer vacation my father, a principal in Alisal, visited Osaka, Japan, with an educators' group.
In The Land of The Riding Sun my father, the only non-Japanese person at this particular feed, sat cross-legged on tatami mats. Japanese women hustled in quietly, carrying exotic foods, and placed them before the group of Japanese and one American educator.
I should explain my father was epileptic, but it did not slow him down in any way. As a 17-year-old he fell (or was pushed some suggested) out of a moving car and remained in a coma for days. No damage everyone thought. But 13 years later at age 30, he started having seizures. The only silver lining (if one could be found) was that supposedly he could feel them coming on.
So there he was in Japan sucking down sushi, sashimi, and sake when he thought, Damn, I'm going to have a seizure. This should be interesting. Damn!
As often was the case when he had seizures he lost consciousness, became glassy-eyed and repeated the phrase, "Have no fear, have no fear, have no fear."
At the same time, his brain locked into whatever last motor command it had received. In this case, he kept tapping his right hand over his heart. The color drained from his face and people stared.
"Have no fear, have no fear, have no fear," the American principal repeated.
His Japanese counterpart, Mr. Yamaguchi, was horrified and actually had a lot of fear. Not good to have the highest ranking visitor die while you are entertaining him.
"Heart attack!" Mr. Yamaguchi screamed as he leaped up. He leaned my father back, loosened his tie, and began hammering the foreigner's chest.
At the opposite side of the table, a thin young Japanese teacher stood. "No!" he said.
Mr. Yamaguchi dismissed the younger teacher and kept on pounding away at my father’s chest.
The younger teacher strode over to his Japanese principal. "He is epileptic. He is having a seizure. My brother is epileptic. Please leave him alone, sir."
Reluctantly Mr. Yamaguchi stopped hammering. After another 30 seconds, my father stopped saying, "Have no fear." He stopped tapping his chest and lucidity slowly returned to him.
My father claimed it was the best vacation he ever had. After that incident, the poor Japanese educators were beside themselves with embarrassment and they couldn't do enough for him. He was invited to every one of their homes, pampered, and taken to the finest restaurants all over Osaka. Mr. Yamaguchi even bought him a new shirt and tie.
For years my father received letters from members of that dinner group. They all claimed that to this day, if principal Yamaguchi hears the words, 'Have no fear,' he turns white.
You never know what can grow out of a summer vacation.