Pelé said goodbye this Thursday (29) in a room at Albert Einstein Hospital (in São Paulo), surrounded by his family. The photo of daughter Kely Nascimento, with the hands of relatives supported by those of the King, symbolize a dignified, respectful, loving death.
Since he was last hospitalized on November 29 with a respiratory infection, Pelé has been defying medical predictions.
On several occasions, the serious and irreversible oncological condition, associated with kidney and heart failure, led to the risk of imminent death.
But, to the surprise of the medical team and family members, the situation stabilized within seriousness.
Last Wednesday (21), with the tumors of the intestine obstructing the gastrointestinal tract and the worsening of other functions, the King was put on a zero diet. Probes and venous nutrition are not indicated in these situations.
Last Saturday (24), Christmas Eve, the sedation was increased, and the ace entered the so-called “active process of death”, when there are irreversible organic dysfunctions. The end became a matter of hours or a few days, and it came true this Thursday afternoon (29).
Since November, when chemotherapy was suspended and Pelé entered palliative care, as revealed by Sheet, the daughters posted photos and videos with their father almost daily. Only parts of the star’s body, such as hands and feet, appeared in the images.
The King also received several tributes in Brazil and the world, he was able to be moved by them and remember how much he was loved.
At the same time, day after day, the country came to understand that, yes, there is a lot to be done for critically ill patients with no chance of cure and this is called palliative care. State-of-the-art drugs and other technologies are key to a certain extent.
When they no longer work—and will only bring useless suffering—love, care, warmth, and comfort measures are what matter. And that goes for the physical, psychological and spiritual.
It should not be necessary to wait for the end of life to access these measures. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), palliative care should be prescribed from the beginning of the diagnosis and involve a multidisciplinary team.
However, this is a reality of few institutions in the country. In general, this offer arrives very late, hence the association of palliative care with imminent death.
In recent years, I have closely followed some deaths from cancer of relatives and friends, and, unfortunately, situations of agony and pain are no exception.
There are still incurable patients dying intubated in ICUs, far from the family, unable to say goodbye, to express their last wishes. Or experiencing unacceptable suffering due to lack of proper pain management.
Pelé’s life was an inspiration in many ways. May his worthy death process also serve as a legacy for us to be respected and well cared for until the end.
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
