SANTIAGO, Chile — On Thursday, José Mujica, the former guerilla and president of Uruguay, revealed troubling news regarding his health, announcing that the cancer in his esophagus has now spread to his liver. He has made the difficult decision to discontinue treatment.
In what he indicated would be his final interview with the Uruguayan publication Busqueda, Mujica candidly expressed his feelings about his condition, stating, “Honestly, I am dying,” while visibly emotional. He requested privacy in his time of need, saying, “What I ask is that they leave me alone. Don’t ask me for more interviews or anything else. My cycle is over.”
Known affectionately as “Pepe” Mujica, the 89-year-old ex-president initially made his mark on the political landscape as a member of the Tupamaros, a Marxist militant organization inspired by the Cuban revolution. He later served as Uruguay’s 40th president from 2010 until 2015 and is credited with transforming the nation into a model of social democracy in Latin America. His administration was notable for progressive policies such as the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage, and recreational cannabis use. Mujica became an international symbol of authenticity, famously opting to live in a modest farmhouse rather than the presidential palace and donating a significant part of his salary to charitable causes.
In April of the previous year, Mujica first disclosed that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. After undergoing radiation therapy, medical reports indicated that the cancer appeared to be in remission by September. Despite the debilitating side effects of treatment, Mujica returned to the political scene, actively campaigning for his left-wing political coalition, the Broad Front, during national elections that further solidified Uruguay’s status as a stable democracy. His favored candidate and protégé, Yamandú Orsi, triumphed in the presidential elections in November and is expected to assume office on March 1.
In his conversation with Busqueda, Mujica attributed his choice to stop treatment to a range of health issues, including an autoimmune disorder and severe kidney disease. He acknowledged, “I’m an old man, and because I have two chronic illnesses, my body cannot handle it.” His personal physician, Raquel Pannone, held a press conference to clarify Mujica’s medical situation, stating that the available treatment options were constrained due to his pre-existing health problems. “He should continue like this and be as calm as possible,” Pannone advised, although she refrained from discussing his prognosis and mentioned that there have been no significant changes in his daily experiences or pain levels.
Although Mujica officially retired from political life when he left the Senate in 2020, he has continued to be an influential figure within the Broad Front and remains one of the most beloved politicians in the nation. Reflecting on his remaining time, Mujica shared that he plans to focus on his farm near Montevideo, where he and his wife have cultivated chrysanthemums for many years. “What I want is to say goodbye to my fellow countrymen,” he expressed during the interview.
Support has poured in from his admirers and leftist advocates across Latin America, many of whom have taken to social media to offer words of encouragement. True to his nature, Mujica offered philosophical wisdom throughout the interview, stating, “Life is a beautiful adventure and a miracle. We are too focused on wealth and not on happiness. We are focused only on doing things, and before you know it, life has passed you by.”
