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Castro
says he's better, weight stable
Yahoo!
News. By Anita Snow, Associated Press
Writer. May 24, 2007.
HAVANA - Fidel Castro's recovery from intestinal
surgery 10 months ago was delayed because
the first of several operations he had went
badly, the communist leader said in a statement
that gave the most detailed account of his
health since August.
Castro, 80, said in the Wednesday statement
that he is now eating solid food and improving
after "many months" of intravenous
feeding. It was the most information released
about Castro's condition since his Aug.
13 birthday, when he asked Cubans to be
optimistic but not rule out possible "adverse
news."
"It was not just one operation, but
various," Castro wrote in the statement
that the government sent to international
media by e-mail. "Initially it was
not successful and that had a bearing on
my prolonged recuperation."
Expected to be published in state newspapers
and read on radio and television broadcasts
on Thursday, the statement did not say when
Castro might appear in public again or resume
Cuba's presidency.
"Today I receive orally everything
my recuperation requires," the convalescing
leader wrote.
Castro stunned Cuba and the world on July
31 when he was announced he had undergone
intestinal surgery for intestinal bleeding
and was temporarily ceding power to his
75-year-old brother Raul, the defense minister.
He has not been seen in public since and
his condition and exact ailment have been
state secrets, though top officials have
insisted he is recuperating steadily. He
is widely believed to suffer from diverticular
disease, a condition that forms sacs in
the intestine that can become inflamed and
bleed.
A January story in the Spanish newspaper
El Pais described Castro as being in "very
grave" condition after at least three
failed operations for diverticular disease.
The Cuban government denied that report.
"I tell everyone simply that I am
getting better and maintain a stable weight
of about 80 kilograms (176 pounds),"
Castro said Wednesday, adding that the greatest
risks to him now are age and the effects
of not taking proper care of his health
over the years.
As he recovers in an undisclosed location,
Castro has been seen wearing a track suit
in photographs and videos released occasionally
by state media. He looked gaunt in the earlier
images, but appeared more robust in more
recent pictures.
"I don't have time now for films and
photos that require me to constantly cut
my hair, beard and mustache, and get spruced
up every day," he said, evidently referring
to the preparation required for some of
the official images.
Life on the island has changed little since
Castro stepped aside, and many Cubans no
longer worry that their "maximum leader"
is at death's door.
His comments on his health came in the
second half of a statement about food production.
It was the 11th written communique signed
by Castro in recent weeks, most of them
lashing out at U.S.-backed plans to use
food crops to produce biofuels.
"For now, I'm doing what I'm supposed
to be doing, reflecting and writing about
questions that I judge of certain importance
and transcendence," the latest one
said. "I have a lot more material to
go."
Loyalists were sorely disappointed on May
1 when Castro did not make his traditional
appearance at Cuba's annual workers parade.
Two weeks after he first fell ill, Cubans
received a sober greeting from Castro saying
he faced a long recovery from surgery.
"To affirm that the recovery period
will take a short time and that there is
no risk would be absolutely incorrect,"
that statement said.
In an apparent reference to those earlier
words, Castro said in Wednesday's statement
that "my compatriots don't like having
me explain on more than one occasion that
the recovery is not free of risks."
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