Football legend Pele has been taken into palliative care at the hospital

Brazilian soccer legend Pele has been “taken to palliative care” in hospital and “no longer responds to chemotherapy” in his battle against bowel cancer.

Reports in Brazil said the 82-year-old, who was hospitalized last week, was receiving pain-relieving procedures in the “end-of-life palliative care” ward.

His former club Santos, former Brazilian player Rivaldo and French international striker Kylian Mbappe were among those who echoed the good wishes, joining fans around the world.

He was admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday suffering from “general swelling” and “heart failure.”

Thursday’s update said the three-time World Cup winner was in a “stable” condition in hospital, with his daughter Kelly insisting there was “no cause for concern”.

However, a report issued by Folha de Sao Paulo on Saturday said that Pele no longer responds to the chemotherapy he has been undergoing since last September for bowel cancer.

They said he is now in palliative care and will not have tests or surgical treatment. Palliative care for patients with potentially life-threatening diseases or conditions and end-of-life care.

Pele – whose full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento – is considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time.

He won the World Cup three times with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, and scored 643 goals in 659 official matches for the Brazilian club Santos. He scored 77 goals in 92 matches for his country.

On Friday, Albert Einstein Hospital issued a statement saying Pele had been diagnosed with a “respiratory infection” that was being treated with antibiotics.

The update said the former player is expected to remain in hospital to continue treatment in the coming days but said his condition is ‘stable’.

In a post on Pele’s Instagram account on Friday, he responded to the message “Get well soon” that was projected onto a building in Qatar, where the World Cup is being held.

He wrote: Friends, I am in the hospital doing my monthly visit. It’s always good to receive positive messages like this. Thank you Qatar for this honor and everyone who sent me good feelings.

Pele recorded a video on Instagram of his 82nd birthday on October 23 and accompanied it with the message: “On my birthday, I just want to express my gratitude. life is good. Turning 82 with my family, in good health, is the best gift. Thank you for everything you have received.

Thursday’s update from the hospital said Pele was in a “stable condition” and “in full control of vital functions” after not being admitted to the intensive care unit. [ICU].

A statement from Brazilian media said: ‘After a medical evaluation, the patient was transferred to a common room, without the need for hospitalization in a semi-intensive or intensive care unit.

The former player fully controls the vital function and [in a] Stable clinical condition.

The hospital confirmed that Pele was taken to the hospital “for a re-evaluation of chemotherapy for a colon tumor identified in September 2021”.

There is no time frame for Pele’s hospital stay, and his wife, Marcia Aoki, and caregiver are at his bedside.

However, Pele’s daughter, Kelly Nascimento, who is not in Brazil, insisted on Tuesday that there was nothing to worry about and that her father’s hospitalization was not a surprise or emergency.

She posted on Instagram: “So much concern in the media today regarding my father’s health. He is in the hospital regulating medication.

There are no new emergency or dire predictions. I’ll be there on New Year’s and I’ll post some pictures.

Pele was hospitalized for six days last year and underwent surgery to remove a polyp in his colon. Brazil’s Globo news website said Pele was undergoing routine checks at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo when the undisclosed problem was discovered.

It came as Brazil fans unfurled a banner “Wishing Pele a speedy recovery” ahead of the World Cup final group match against Cameroon on Friday night.

There was also heartfelt praise from the Brazil camp before the match.

“We found out the news on Wednesday,” coach Tite said before the Cameroon match.

Perhaps one of the largest representatives of Brazil. We wish him good health. That’s the feeling we all have in the Brazil national team. We wish Pele all the best.

Pele has been battling bowel cancer since he was diagnosed with a tumor in his large intestine at the end of August 2021. He had been undergoing routine check-ups that were delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four days later, he underwent surgery at the Albert Einstein Hospital to remove the tumor and was moved to the intensive care unit several times due to respiratory problems.

He began a course of chemotherapy shortly thereafter, and in December 2021, was returned to hospital for further cancer treatment. He was laid off just before Christmas.

Pele returned to the hospital for another course of chemotherapy in February, joking on social media, “Hopefully there will be popcorn for the Super Bowl soon.”

When doctors discovered a urinary tract infection, his hospital stay was extended but Pele left the hospital on February 28.

The octogenarian has also had difficulty moving around in recent years after three hip surgeries.