News / National
Tsvangirai suffering from an aggressive form of colon cancer
30 Oct 2017 at 14:19hrs | Views
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai - who is fighting an aggressive form of cancer of the colon - is struggling with excruciating pain, one of his closest allies told the Daily News yesterday.
The MDC leader was last Wednesday airlifted to South Africa, with his spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka saying that he had gone for a "routine" medical check-up.
Eddie Cross, a veteran MDC lawmaker and one of Tsvangirai's economic advisers, told the Daily News when he made inquiries into Tsvangirai's state of health, he was told the former prime minister was in sharp pain.
In a post a fortnight ago Cross, said Tsvangirai was suffering from an aggressive form of colon cancer.
"He has been struggling with his treatment and the family is concerned that he might not handle the election and subsequently the responsibility of being president of a country in a deep crisis," said Cross.
"After a lifetime of principled struggle, to have it all threatened by a disease in your body, is not fair . . . Life can be a bastard at times."
Compared to Mugabe, who constantly flies to Singapore for medical attention the MDC leader has himself spoken openly about his battle with cancer gaining respect from even those in Zanu-PF. Tsvangirai has revealed he has undergone over 10 chemotherapy sessions.
Leading doctors who treat various forms of cancer, including those in the colon area where Tsvangirai has been stricken, say aggressive cancer points to a new, potentially critical stage for the MDC president.
"He is confronted with a very fragile set of circumstances, one of great unpredictability if the tumour is aggressive," said a Harare-based oncologist who declined to be named for professional reasons.
"There is a risk of another lesion developing elsewhere in his body, in a lung, or in the liver. That's called metastasis."
The surgeon said it is difficult to give a proper prognosis in the absence of direct knowledge of Tsvangirai's health.
Tsvangirai, a 65-year-old leftist firebrand opposition leader who has formed alliances with seven other opposition parties, has been a potent political force since he formed the MDC in 1999.
But since June last year, questions about his health have dominated political discussions in mineral-rich Zimbabwe.
The MDC leader was last Wednesday airlifted to South Africa, with his spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka saying that he had gone for a "routine" medical check-up.
Eddie Cross, a veteran MDC lawmaker and one of Tsvangirai's economic advisers, told the Daily News when he made inquiries into Tsvangirai's state of health, he was told the former prime minister was in sharp pain.
In a post a fortnight ago Cross, said Tsvangirai was suffering from an aggressive form of colon cancer.
"He has been struggling with his treatment and the family is concerned that he might not handle the election and subsequently the responsibility of being president of a country in a deep crisis," said Cross.
"After a lifetime of principled struggle, to have it all threatened by a disease in your body, is not fair . . . Life can be a bastard at times."
Leading doctors who treat various forms of cancer, including those in the colon area where Tsvangirai has been stricken, say aggressive cancer points to a new, potentially critical stage for the MDC president.
"He is confronted with a very fragile set of circumstances, one of great unpredictability if the tumour is aggressive," said a Harare-based oncologist who declined to be named for professional reasons.
"There is a risk of another lesion developing elsewhere in his body, in a lung, or in the liver. That's called metastasis."
The surgeon said it is difficult to give a proper prognosis in the absence of direct knowledge of Tsvangirai's health.
Tsvangirai, a 65-year-old leftist firebrand opposition leader who has formed alliances with seven other opposition parties, has been a potent political force since he formed the MDC in 1999.
But since June last year, questions about his health have dominated political discussions in mineral-rich Zimbabwe.
Source - dailynews
