Pele was admitted to a Sao Paulo hospital last Tuesday after suffering from ‘general swelling’ and ‘heart failure‘
By Kehinde Okeowo
Brazilian and football icon Pelé has been transferred to palliative care after his body stopped responding to chemotherapy in his fight against bowel cancer.
According to Daily Mail, the 82-year-old legend, who went into hospital last week, is receiving measures to relieve pain at Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo.
Pele was admitted to the hospital last Tuesday after suffering from ‘general swelling’ and ‘heart failure.’
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An update from the hospital on Thursday suggests the football icon was in a ‘stable’ condition in the hospital with his daughter Kely insisting there was ‘no cause for alarm.’
However, a report by Folha de Sao Paulo on Saturday, said “Pele is not responding any longer to the chemotherapy treatment he has been undergoing since last September to treat his bowel cancer”.
He has received well wishes from across the footballing world. Kylian Mbappe, who is the only player in history along with Pele to score in the World Cup final as a teenager, tweeted that he is “praying for the king”.
Pelé is regarded by many as one of the greatest footballers in the history of the game. He is the only player in history to have won the World Cup on three occasions, having done so in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
Palliative care is for patients with potentially life-threatening diseases or conditions.