Brazilian President Lula Says He Is 'Strong & Steady' After Emergency Surgery, Posts Video Of Him Walking
The Brazilian president who underwent two operations this week said he would seek reelection if needed, but would consider his health first before he decided to run again.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shared a video on social media, updating people on his post-surgery recovery on Friday. In the video, Lula appears with bandages on the top of his head and his arm while casually talking with his wife Rosangela da Silva and doctor Marcos Stavale, who led the surgery.
In an X post, he wrote, “Please rest assured. I am strong and steady! I am walking the halls with Marcos Stavale, the neurosurgeon responsible for my procedure, talking a lot, eating well and, soon, ready to return home and continue working and taking care of every Brazilian family.
2025 is coming and we have many meetings in Brazil and around the world. Thank you for your affection and for all the dedication of the medical team. The love I receive keeps me always ready to move forward!”
Agradeço por cada oração e palavra de conforto que recebi nos últimos dias. Janjinha me repassou todos os recados. Peço que fiquem tranquilos. Estou firme e forte! Andando pelos corredores com Marcos Stavale, o neurocirurgião responsável pelo meu procedimento, conversando… pic.twitter.com/b4mlpy8L07
— Lula (@LulaOficial) December 13, 2024
The 79-year-old leftist leader underwent two operations in Sao Paulo's Sirio-Libanes Hospital. Lula had surgery at the hospital on Tuesday for a kind of slow bleeding which was linked to a fall at his home in late October.
On Thursday, the president underwent a second procedure, a middle meningeal artery embolisation, aimed at minimising the risk of additional bleeding in the future. He later had a drain removed from his head without complications, according to Reuters.
According to the Associated Press (AP), his medical team said that the president is awake and fine, and is expected to leave the hospital next week. According to his doctor, Marcos Stavale, said Thursday’s procedure was low risk. “He’s neurologically perfect. He’s fine, he’s talking,” Stavale said of Lula. “He didn’t have any brain damage,” said Dr Roberto Kalil, who has been monitoring the president’s health for years.
As per the report, after the accident, his office said Lula cancelled a trip to Russia for the BRIC alliance summit, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The accident has left him with a visible cut on the back of his head, slightly above his neck.
In the X messages, Lula thanked the public for the prayers for his well-wishers, passed on by his wife, and said he looked forward to "many meetings in Brazil and around the world" in the coming year.
“I am grateful for every prayer and word of comfort I have received in the last few days. Janjinha has passed on all the messages to me,” Lula said on the X post.
According to AP, some politicians have expressed concerns about the future of his coalition in the 2026 presidential election. However, the Brazilian president said he would seek reelection, but would consider his health first before deciding to run again.
However, there is no clear successor, Ricardo Kotscho, a press secretary in Lula’s first administration in his third term has said that the president has concentrated power more than ever.
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