Tokyo, Oct. 26 (Jiji Press)–A 22-year-old Japanese man who suffered from a rare cancer died in October last year, leaving a social media post reading, “Guee, shindango,” an internet slang expression used to make light of a shocking situation, to be published after his death. The post, combining “guee,” a dramatic cry of shock or distress, and “shindango,” a humorous way of saying “I’m dead” using the playful suffix “ngo,” drew widespread attention and helped spur support for cancer research. Donations to the National Cancer Center Japan reached record highs in both value and number in fiscal 2025, which ended last March. The man, Kanaru Nakayama, was from Tsubetsu, Hokkaido, northernmost Japan. After entering Hokkaido University, Nakayama was diagnosed in 2023 with epithelioid sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. After he underwent surgery, doctors found a recurrence and metastasis in 2024. He continued chemotherapy treatment but died on Oct. 12, 2025. The following day, a friend reported on Nakayama’s social media account that he had “passed away peacefully.” But the next day, a post reading, “Guee, shindango,” appeared there. Nakayama is believed to have scheduled the post shortly before his death. “It was probably a final joke for his friends,” his father, Kazuhiko, said. Many internet users were moved by Nakayama’s action. Donations to cancer research institutions followed, with some social media users saying they had made contributions in lieu of condolence money. The National Cancer Center Japan received 27,940 donations totaling about 1,176 million yen in fiscal 2025. The number of donations was about 16 times higher than in fiscal 2024. The center said that it is difficult to attribute the increase to any single factor, but added that growing opportunities for people to learn about its activities through social media may have been one reason. Donations received by the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research totaled about 712 million yen in fiscal 2025. While the amount ranked sixth over the past 10 years, the number of donations from individuals reached 5,807, about 1.7 times the level recorded in fiscal 2020. Both organizations expressed gratitude for the donations and said the funds would be used for research and efforts to improve treatment and care environments for cancer patients. Last month, Kazuhiko said in an email that he and his wife were “very surprised” to learn the amount of donations. Expressing hope that advances in cancer research could spare future patients from suffering, he said: “I think Kanaru would be pleased as well. Thank you very much.” “Even if only occasionally, I hope people will remember that there was a young man who was born and raised in rural Hokkaido and who, though his life was short, lived it to the fullest until the very end,” he added. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
