Hugo Chavez Cancer Surgery: Venezuela President Plans To Come Home From Cuba

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that he plans to return home this week from Cuba and has been recovering smoothly after undergoing cancer surgery.

Chavez spoke on television from Havana, accompanied by many of his Cabinet ministers in a prerecorded appearance that resembled his regular Sunday television and radio program.

"I should return in the coming days," Chavez said, appearing upbeat and wearing a track suit emblazoned with the yellow, blue and red of Venezuela's flag. He added that he would undergo radiation therapy in the coming weeks.

He noted that two weeks have passed since his operation, saying he now has "completely normal vital parameters, a good general state of health, without any complication of any kind."

"Tests confirm and continue confirming my favorable clinical evolution," Chavez said.

Chavez has said his Feb. 26 surgery in Cuba removed a tumor measuring about 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) from the same location in the pelvic region where another tumor was extracted in June. He has declined to identify the precise location or type of cancer.

The president paraphrased German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche as he borrowed a metaphor to describe his cancer struggle, calling it "my longest and steepest hike."

Chavez referred to his health only briefly, instead focusing on government projects from subway expansion work to public housing complexes. The program seemed aimed at projecting a business-as-usual image of the president at work.

Chavez spoke energetically while signing documents to approve spending. He paused for televised appearances by his vice president, who spoke from a government-run chicken farm alongside Chavez's brother in Venezuela, and his health minister, who appeared leading a tour of a Venezuelan hospital.

In the hospital, Health Minister Eugenia Sader passed the microphone to a boy, who repeated a slogan that has been used frequently by the president's supporters: "Onward, Comandante."

The program was recorded earlier Sunday and lasted more than two hours. In his typical style, Chavez flipped through a book on socialism, laughed with his aides and briefly broke into song.

He also read aloud a get-well note sent to him by a young girl.

"I promise you I will keep getting better," Chavez said.

Comments

[Vadim Shapoval]

05:54 AM on 03/16/2012

Cancer patients-2012 must receive anti-cancer anti-iron intratumoral injections [sulfur (2%) + olive oil (98%)] by ceramic needles. These intratumoral injections will initiate harmless infiltrations (deposits of cells that die; harmless necroses). Accurate anti-iron slow blood loss (even 75%) [hemoglobin control] and anti-iron goat’s milk diet will neutralize any micro-metastases. Chavez's Cuban, Russian and Chinese doctors ‘destroy’ Chavez by surgery, chemotherapy, steroids (as supplements to chemotherapy), radiation therapy and natural Chinese treatment

[uberconservative]

12:01 PM on 03/13/2012

Maybe one of his countrymen will do the world a favor shortly !

[kitsmom1990]

11:02 AM on 03/13/2012

And I'm supposed to care about this, why?

[Jerry Bourbon]

11:00 AM on 03/13/2012

Thanks to Chavez, Venezuela is Number ONE!!!

Number one in inflation, crime, and perceptions of corruption in South America. Way to go!!!

[Yank in France]

07:14 AM on 03/14/2012

Si senor, gracias al "com andante" Chavez ! -:)

[legitane]

09:56 AM on 03/13/2012

President of country A goes to country B to be treated...
Country A had excellent doctors and hospitals and subsidizes country B to the fullest..
Is that a definition of paranoia ?

[Peric Overde]

11:33 AM on 03/13/2012

There is more to it than paranoia although certainly it is part of the equation. The only people who Chavez really trust are the Cuban thugs provided by Fidel to protect him. However, the real reason behind Chavez going to Cuba has to do with secrecy. Almost one year into Mr. Chavez's cancer saga and we Venezuelans have no clear idea of what is going on with the guy. Mr Chavez to this point has not provided a full medical report on his condition which is completely unacceptable as he should be fully accountable to us. The problem is that within Mr. Chavez's universe he considers himself like God and us like mere serfs who must be happy with whatever he decides to do. Whatever we know has come from outside sources. Mainly from Nelson Bocaranda -a well known and respected journalist-, from Dr. Marquina and from another Brazilian journalists. All of them coincide in that Mr. Chavez is dying and that pretty much the guy will be gone the latest by next year.

[legitane]

11:59 AM on 03/13/2012

Like in the old Soviet Union.. the leaders had been dead weeks before it was publicly announced...

[legitane]

12:02 PM on 03/13/2012

I was at the Mexico DF airport when a Cuban plane arrived and it was Chavez with Cuban pilots and bodyguards... (they arrived unannounced due to engine problem). never saw a single Venezuelan amomg his entourage...
Rather shameful for such a populist...

[Joshua Dougherty]

08:55 AM on 03/13/2012

Looks like this thread must have got linked on some wingnut website, given all the blood-lusting comments wishing for the man to die or be killed, and talking about his "dictatorship" and other BS. There is a really dark and evil underbelly to the wingnutoverse. The man is popular in Venezuela for a reason, he's made the lives of the majority of people better who never had little before and which no previous government cared about at all. He's up for re-election soon and will likely win again, but that will of course be "fraud" of some sort which can't be demonstrated, just like the massive but undetectable ACORN-led fraud that rigged the 2008 election that started Obama's "dictatorship".

[Peric Overde]

03:37 PM on 03/13/2012

Shallow comment in my opinion. You should be wondering what is it about a president that makes so many people to hate him with such passion. And, I hope you don't even think answering that with the disingenuous cliche that it's because those who hate him do so because they've lost their privileges or hate that he has helped the poor. After all, Lula Da Silva was able to take 30 million Brazilians out of poverty and he's immensely popular in Brazil.

With regard to the election system in Venezuela there are many reason why we distrust it completely. I've personally witnessed Cuban citizens getting ID cards that allow them to vote. Mr Chavez and his minions keep making veiled threats that those who vote for the opposition will lose whatever government help they have. A couple of days ago it was denounced that Mr. Chavez followers were hiding voters registration machines and only allowing Mr. Chavez's party members to register. Mr. Chavez government has also gone to great lengths to ensure that the young population doesn't have access to the registration system by not opening registration points in universities, colleges, etc. Same thing with Venezuelans residing outside the country. If you've not heard about the Tascon List I suggest you do some research. Finally, if you lived in Venezuela you could see first hand how the national electoral council is completely biased to Mr. Chavez wishes. All in all, Venezuelans have many reasons to deeply distrust elections in Venezuela.

[yeshia]

08:15 AM on 03/13/2012

Oh good.. now Obama finally has his dear friend back.

[Peric Overde]

01:44 AM on 03/13/2012

Dear Hugo: Please get well and come back quickly. Nobody has destroyed the country in the way you have. There is still a little left to destroy, not a lot but some.

We miss your insults, your disqualifications of those who oppose you. Who is gonna steal properties? Who is gonna provide us with a high inflation? Who is gonna destroy our health system more than you have? Who is gonna incite Venezuelans to hate each other? Who is gonna sell our country to the Cubans, Russians, Chinese, Belorussians and Iranians? Who is gonna sell our oil for $40 when it costs $115 per barrel? Who is gonna humiliate us with your personal touch? Who is gonna bring foreigners to our own soil to give us orders? Who is gonna give away our resources to further his/her political agenda? Who is gonna attack freedom of expression the way you have? Who is gonna foster crime-related deaths? We are 27 mill Hugo and we all deserve our chance to have a violent death. Who is gonna submit public institutions and obliterate checks and balances? Who else could use the constitution as toilette paper in the way you have?

You have to get well Hugo. The country may actually start to get better without you and we can't allow that. Do it for Venezuela Hugo! We know you can! Go Hugo, go!!! Fatherland, Socialism or Death!

[moonlightnmagnolia]

01:15 AM on 03/13/2012

Chavez has broken most of his promises....let's hope the promise of him getting better is one of them.

[Wizard0104]

12:10 AM on 03/13/2012

Oh isn't that nice, maybe his plane will crash into the ocean.

[paul12peter12]

11:31 PM on 03/12/2012

He needs to cut way down on those corn chips and barritos!

[NoQuarter472]

11:06 PM on 03/12/2012

Observation,,,the cancer left to Cuba leaving Venezuela cured of a tyrant, now the cancer is back to further Valenzuela's demise, such is, that most deadly cancer. In this case, the doctor's were not successful of ridding the country of the disease.

[fabgad]

09:23 PM on 03/12/2012

hugo has cancer and wont be around much longer with cubas lovely health care..bye hugo !!!

[glockenspiel323]

09:01 PM on 03/12/2012

and here the people of Venezuela were hoping for good news:
the operation was a success, el paciente es muy muerte.

[evenbogee]

07:51 PM on 03/12/2012

Did his brother, Obama call him and wish well:) Aah, they're so much alike.....mmm

[Bruno Diaz]

08:23 PM on 03/12/2012

mmm trying to tilt the conversation to your USA centric view of the world?

But no thery are not anything alike.

[fabgad]

09:22 PM on 03/12/2012

yes they are

[NoQuarter472]

11:08 PM on 03/12/2012

Not in countries, just the two leaders are like.

[Yank in France]

07:19 AM on 03/14/2012

Wait! How could Obama be Castro's brother if he is a Muslim?

LOL!!