Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been discharged from the hospital after undergoing emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage, doctors announced.
The 79-year-old attended a press conference at São Paulo’s Sirio Libanes Hospital with his medical team.
“This is not an interview here. This is just a thank you session. First of all, I would like to thank God for taking care of me in such a generous manner,” he said.
Lula was taken to the hospital on Monday after complaining of severe headaches.
Doctors performed a craniotomy on the president, a procedure in which a portion of bone is surgically removed from the skull to treat bleeding and relieve pressure. The bone is then replaced.
A statement from the hospital said the brain hemorrhage, or intracranial hemorrhage, was caused by a blow to the head during a fall in the bathroom of the presidential palace in October.
“Thank you for your prayers,” Lula added on Sunday. “And for those who have nothing but hatred, you are forgiven. I am here, alive, whole, and with a desire to do more.”
Doctors announced Tuesday that the president was in stable condition and conscious after surgery.
Lula was said to be “alert” and talking to medical staff.
He also claimed that there was no brain damage and no after-effects from the surgery.
Asked when he would return to the capital, doctors said they expected Lula to return to Brasilia “next week” if all goes well.
While Lula was hospitalized, Vice President Gerard Alkmin took on some of the president’s commitments.
Doctors said the bleeding was caused by a fall Lula had in October.
They explained that it is not uncommon for problems from blows to the head to appear “months later.”
Lula slipped in the bathroom of the Alvorada Palace on October 19 and hit the back of the head. Sunday, he explained that he was cutting his toenails at the time and was sitting down.
He ended up needing five more stitches. On the advice of his doctor, the president canceled his planned visit to Russia for the BRICS summit.
He returned to full duty a few days later.
Lula has been in power since January last year after narrowly defeating incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a hotly contested election.
During the campaign, he often joked that he had the energy of a 30-year-old.
Additional reporting by Malu Cursino
