Former president of Uruguay and major figure of the Latin American left, José “Pepe” Mujica, 88, who announced that he was suffering from a tumor in his esophagus, will have to undergo radiotherapy sessions to fight cancer, said indicated his doctor.
The former head of state, who became known around the world for his informal style, his outspokenness and his way of governing Uruguay between 2010 and 2015, announced on Monday that he had learned of the existence of the tumor during a medical examination.
“We had strong presumptions that it was a malignant tumor, as the pathological anatomy analyzes showed,” Dr. Raquel Pannone said Thursday at a press conference, emphasizing the absence of metastases.
“This lesion is confined to the esophagus, there is no other damage,” she added.
However, Mr. Mujica suffers from an immunological disease which may complicate treatment. She notably made him renounce his mandate as senator in October 2020 due to the risks linked to the coronavirus epidemic.
Dr Pannone indicated that the “maximum goal” is “cure”, and the “intermediate goal” is “long survival and good quality of life”, emphasizing that the atypical former president is determined to deliver ” battle”.
A former far-left guerrilla with spontaneous, sometimes controversial words, “Pepe” Mujica earned himself the nickname “poorest president in the world” during his mandate because this champion of frugality, who himself led his own vehicle, donated almost all of his salary as head of state to a social housing program.
He also became famous for pushing through progressive measures in the small South American country: abortion, same-sex marriage and the legalization of cannabis, the latter a world first in 2013.
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