Former national idol Rika Shimizu, 27, who was “dried up” for about 4 years at NMB48, talks about her complicated feelings at the time. Former NMB48 member Rika Shimizu, 27 , shows off her “too beautiful style” in a bold miniskirt . Rika Shimizu, 27, formerly of NMB48, is an idol with a variety of “previous lives” that correspond to her previous career. Currently, she is working hard as a “fourth round” idol, and stands on stage as the leader of the idol group “One Last Bloom. Her career has been very rich. From child actor to live idol to major idol. After graduating from NMB48, she produced her own group but almost gave up halfway through her career, and then decided to become a member of the group again. The story follows her graduation from NMB48, which came at the end of her ambition, and the turning point in her life when she embarked on producing the group. (Continued from Part 2 of 3) ◆◆◆
At the age of 20, she was diagnosed with a disease, and the doctor told her that her life might not be long…
–◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ After about 5 years of activities, I graduated from NMB48 in June 2021. I heard that the reason was a pancreatic disease. Rika Shimizu (Shimizu): Yes, when I was 20 years old, I suddenly collapsed at a handshake event, and after a checkup at the hospital, I was diagnosed with a pancreatic disorder. I was told that I might not have long to live, and I cried on the spot for the rest of my life. However, I told the members and fans that I was “not feeling well” for the rest of my life until graduation. I was in and out of the hospital repeatedly from the time my illness was discovered until my graduation from the group, and while I was in the hospital, I hid it by uploading photos I had taken in the past to SNS. At the time, I was prone to low blood sugar, and at times my face was flattened from the IV drips, so I was not able to be as active as I should have been. Still, I tried to keep a smile on my face, saying, “If someday when I pass away, you will remember my smile. –Have you recovered now? Shimizu: No, I am not completely cured. The organs that were being compressed by the pancreas are still in bad shape, and I have to go to the hospital every month for blood tests. But it doesn’t interfere with my daily life, so I have no problem continuing to work as an idol.