Brazilian legend Pele, lands in Hospital

Brazilian soccer great Pelé was hospitalized in Sao Paulo to regulate the medication in his fight against a colon tumor, his daughter said on Wednesday.

Kely Nascimento added that there was “no emergency” concerning her 82-year-old father’s health.

Nascimento, who lives in the United States, made the comments in an Instagram post after what she called “lots of alarm in the media today concerning my dad’s health.”

Pele has regularly been visiting hospital for check-ups in recent years and has undergone chemotherapy for a colon tumour discovered in September. According to ESPN Brazil, upon arriving at Albert Einstein hospital, the medical staff confirmed he had anasarca (generalised swelling) and “decompensated heart failure”.

It is also reported that the chemotherapy carried out over the last few months to treat his colon cancer has shown no responses. Pele is undergoing numerous tests for an in-depth assessment of the problems highlighted. After seeming ‘very restless’ when he arrived at the hospital, it’s also understood the former Brazilian striker has been struggling to feed himself.

The cancer was discovered during a series of routine examinations that had been postponed for 15 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. After being hospitalised for a month, Pele underwent surgery and has regularly visited the hospital for monthly tests to check the effectiveness of tackling the treatment.

Earlier this year, Pele spoke out on his battle with health issues and admitted that the treatment was “difficult”. On Instagram in April, he said: “The peace of being next to my dear wife, Marcia, and our inseparable companion, Cacau. Treatment is difficult, but feeling their love is the best medicine. Home Sweet Home.”

The former Santos star was also in the hospital to have a kidney stone removed in 2019 and in 2014 for another urinary tract infection. He is the only player in history to have won three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970) and is widely regarded as one of the best to ever play the game.