As soccer legend Pelé’s health reportedly deteriorated, one of his daughters took to social media to pay tribute.
Kely Nascimento, who has been keeping the world updated on her father’s condition with regular social media posts, shared a touching photo Friday of herself hugging Pelé in his hospital bed in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The caption is written in Portuguese and says: “We are still here, fighting and believing. Another night together.”
According to a statement issued by Albert Einstein Hospital on Wednesday, Pelé’s cancer has progressed and he is receiving “elevated care” for “kidney and cardiac dysfunctions.”
Pelé, 82, was admitted to the hospital on November 29 for treatment of a respiratory infection exacerbated by COVID-19. He has been undergoing chemotherapy to fight cancer since September 2021, when a tumour in his colon was removed.
Edson Cholbi Nascimento, known as Edinho, one of Pelé’s sons, arrived Saturday, one day after denying in a press conference that he would visit his father in hospital. Edinho, who works for a soccer club in southern Brazil, had previously stated that his father could only be helped by doctors.
“He (Edson) is here,” Kely Nascimento wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of herself sitting next to Edinho and two of his children at the hospital. “I’m not leaving; no one will take me away.”
Hours later, Edinho, a former Santos goalkeeper, posted a photo of himself holding his father’s hand.
“Dad… my strength is yours,” said Pelé’s son.
