07 September 2011 - Tokyo - The Stop TB Partnership Japan has appointed JOY, a model and entertainer, as a Stop TB Ambassador.
Aged 26, JOY was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) in March 2011 after developing a high fever. After three months in hospital he is now well again and back at work. His treatment will continue until the end of December.
JOY hopes that his experience will offer encouragement to those suffering from TB and spread awareness about TB symptoms and how to get treated.
"I hope people will no longer think of TB as a disease that has nothing to do with them, and think of it as a disease that’s close to home," he said.
Watch a video of JOY being appointed as a Stop TB Ambassador (in Japanese.)