SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Uruguay’s former guerrilla turned president, Jose Mujica, announced Thursday that cancer in his esophagus has spread to his liver and that he has chosen to forego further treatment.
In what Mujica said would be his last interview, he told Busqueda, a weekly news magazine in Uruguay, that he was “doomed”.
“To be honest, I’m dying,” said the former leader, who ruled the tiny South American nation of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. The article noted that his eyes were teary.
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“What I’m asking is to be left alone. Don’t ask me for more interviews or anything,” he said. “My cycle is over.”
Known to fans and detractors as “Pepe” Mujica, the folkloric former president of Uruguay first forayed into politics as the leader of the Tupamaros, the Marxist militant group that drew inspiration from the Cuban revolution.
Later, as Uruguay’s 40th president, he transformed his nation into one of the healthiest and most socially liberal democracies in Latin America, legalizing abortion, same-sex marriage and recreational marijuana. A left-wing icon, he caused global fascination by eschewing the presidential palace to live in a small country house and donating most of his salary to charity.
The 89-year-old first revealed last April that doctors had found a cancerous tumor in his esophagus. He underwent radiation therapy, and last September, Mujica’s doctors said the esophageal cancer appeared to be in remission.
Although the radiation left him weak and almost unable to eat, Mujica re-emerged on the political scene last fall, campaigning for his left-wing coalition, the Broad Front, in drama-free national elections that established Uruguay as one of the strongest democracies in the region.
Mujica’s preferred candidate and protégé, Yamandu Orsi, won the presidential election last November and is due to take office on March 1.
In the Busqueda interview, Mujica said his autoimmune disease, severe kidney disease and other underlying medical problems led to his decision not to continue treatment after medical tests showed his cancer had returned and metastasized.
“I’m an old man and because I have two chronic illnesses, my body can’t handle it,” he said.
Mujica’s personal physician, Raquel Pannone, held a press conference Thursday to clarify the former president’s medical condition. She said cancer treatment options were limited from the start, given Mujica’s various illnesses.
“He needs to continue like this and be as calm as possible,” Pannone said, declining to elaborate on Mujica’s prognosis. She said the leftist leader had experienced no changes in his daily life or pain levels.
Although Mujica seemingly retired from politics when he left the Senate in 2020, he remained a powerful force in the Broad Front. He is considered one of the most popular politicians in the country.
Mujica told Busqueda that he would dedicate his “last stage” of his life to his farm on the outskirts of Montevideo, the capital, where he has been growing chrysanthemums with his wife for decades.
“What I want is to say goodbye to my countrymen,” he said in the interview.
His supporters, including leftist readers from across Latin America, shared messages of encouragement on social media.
Seemingly unable to refrain from dispensing the articulate wisdom for which he is admired, Mujica repeatedly answered interview questions with philosophical aphorisms.
“Life is a beautiful adventure and wonder,” he said. “We are too focused on wealth and not on happiness. We’re just focused on doing things and before you know it, life passes you by.”