No longer responding to chemotherapy treatment in order to fight off bowel cancer, football icon Pele, now 82, has been moved to a palliative care unit at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Pele, perhaps the best footballer the world has ever seen, went into hospital last week and concerns about his condition were played down by his family.
Pele, who has won the World Cup three times with Brazil , scored 77 goals in 92 games for his national team and was one off the highest scorers for Santos, bagging 643 goals.
He also entered hospital with a respiratory infection.
The icon has received millions of good wishes from around the world.
Going into palliative care signals that one is coming close to the end of their life and conditions are made comfortable before the arrival of death.
“If you have an illness that cannot be cured, palliative care makes you as comfortable by managing your pain and other distressing symptoms. It also involves psychological, social and spiritual support for you and your family or carers,” writes the UK’s National Health Service.
Pele has been battling bowel cancer since last summer. In recent years he has been plagued with ailments including urinary tract infections and has had three hip operations.
Brazil are one of the favourites to win the FIFA Qatar World Cup and the squad have looked good in games.
The national team coach, Tite, said of Pele: “He is possibly the biggest representatives of Brazil. We wish him good health. That’s the feeling of all of us from the Brazil squad. We are wishing Pele all the best.”
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