Soccer star Pelé spends Christmas in hospital amid worsening cancer – The Hollywood Reporter
Pelé, a football legend, will spend the Christmas break in the hospital after learning his cancer is advanced.
The three-time World Cup winner, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, has been undergoing chemotherapy in his battle against cancer since September 2021 when he had a colon tumor removed.
His daughter, Kelly Cristina Nascimento, took to Instagram on Thursday to share the change in holiday plans, writing: “Our Christmas at home has been put on hold. We decided with the doctors that, for a variety of reasons, it would be better for us to stay here with all the care this new family in Einstein has given us!!”
“We, as always, thank you for all the love you give us in Brazil and around the world! Your love for him, your stories and prayers is a BIG source of comfort as we know we are not alone,” she added. “We will turn this room into a Sambódromo (just kidding), we will even make caipirinha (no kidding!!). We wish everyone a Christmas filled with family, children, fighting and LOTS of Love and Health!!
The Brazilian soccer star is being treated at the Albert Einstein hospital in São Paulo. In a statement on Wednesday, hospital officials said that his cancer was advanced and was in “special care” related to “heart and kidney dysfunction”. Related press report.
In early December, his two daughters said the soccer star had been hospitalized for treatment for a more severe respiratory infection caused by COVID-19. At that time, the AP reported that the hospital said Pelé was responding well to the treatment for the infection, but in the latest update, AP reported that the hospital did not mention any signs of a recent respiratory infection of the former athlete.
Earlier this month, the legend himself also posted on social media thanking all his fans for their positivity and well wishes.
“My friends, I want to keep everyone calm and positive. I am strong, with a lot of hope and I follow my treatment as usual. I want to thank the entire medical and nursing team for all the care I have received,” Pelé wrote on Instagram. “I have a lot of faith in God and every message of love I receive from friends around the world fills me with energy. And watch Brazil in the World Cup too! Thank you so much for everything.”
Pelé, one of the most famous soccer players in the world, has played professionally in Brazil for two decades. During that time, he was a member of the Brazilian national team that won three World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970. He later joined the New York Cosmos. The soccer superstar was also named FIFA’s Player of the Century in 1999.
