MONTEVIDEO – Former Uruguayan President José Mujica is going through “the most difficult moment” of his therapy against cancer, said his wife, Lucia Topolansky, according to statements released on Wednesday.
The 89-year-old former president, a former guerrilla who ruled Uruguay from 2010 to 2015, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in early May and underwent radiotherapy sessions until mid-June.
Mujica is going through the most difficult moment of his treatment “because he has accumulated all the radiation and that inflames his digestive system,” Topolansky told Channel 12 during a political event on Tuesday night.
“Unfortunately, he can only eat soups, some juice, some gelatin, and we Uruguayans are used to eating barbecue and stew,” he said.
Topolansky, a former guerrilla like Mujica and former vice president of Uruguay (2017-2020), said that her husband, who was very politically active prior to the party primaries on June 30, but the cold of the southern winter limits his public outings.
“They say he participated in the primaries, but compared to doing eight events a day like he did when he was a member of the thousands, it’s nothing. He’s like a dog that’s tied to a chain. And still not eating. He’s fierce,” said Topolansky.
“The effects (of the therapy) are delayed. In about a month and a half they can do the check-up,” said Topolansky.
On June 21, Mujica’s personal physician, Raquel Pannone, said the former president, who also suffers from vasculitis and kidney failure, was recovering from “very aggressive” cancer treatment.
Source: With information from AFP
