A man endured the most excruciating death ever documented after medical professionals sustained his life for 83 days.
Hisashi Ouchi experienced devastating injuries due to a 1999 nuclear incident in Japan, resulting in him ‘crying blood’ with his skin ‘melting’.
In September 1999, Ouchi was tasked with purifying uranium oxide at the Tokaimura nuclear fuel-processing facility to create fuel rods for a research reactor.
A routine day at his job quickly spiraled into a nightmare, as observers described it as the ‘most painful death imaginable’.
Ouchi and two colleagues inadvertently initiated the release of radiation from an uncontrolled nuclear reaction, causing unimaginable devastation.
The plan was to pour uranium into a large metal container, with Ouchi assisting a fellow worker in this hazardous task.
However, due to a deadly mistake, the hazardous liquid reached a ‘critical point’, with Ouchi receiving the full impact of the exposure.
Initially, he suffered burns, dizziness, and intense vomiting, but the suffering escalated beyond anything he expected.
He was exposed to 17 Sieverts (sv) of radiation—four times the lethal dose and higher than any human exposure before—intensifying his agony and leading to breathing difficulties.
For context, those affected by the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 faced exposure to just 0.25 sv.
Ouchi was quickly taken to the University of Tokyo Hospital, where he was diagnosed with critically low white blood cell levels, necessitating extensive skin grafts and numerous blood transfusions.
Reports from the time indicated that he was ‘crying blood’, pleading with doctors to cease treatment and end his suffering.
“I can’t take it any more! I am not a guinea pig!” he reportedly cried out.
His bone marrow cells began to fragment, and doctors observed his inability to regenerate new cells.
Two weeks post-incident, Ouchi could no longer eat and required intravenous feeding.
Despite these conditions, doctors managed to keep him alive, even reviving him after heart failure.
On the 83rd day, Ouchi succumbed to multiple organ failure, concluding his nearly three-month ordeal in unimaginable pain.