BRAZIL: SOCCER/FOOTBALL - WORLD CUP 2010: Doctors and patients watch Brazil's World Cup defeat in hospital

Record ID: 784218

  • Title: BRAZIL: SOCCER/FOOTBALL - WORLD CUP 2010: Doctors and patients watch Brazil's World Cup defeat in hospital
  • Date: 3rd July 2010
  • Summary: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL (JULY 02, 2010) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF SAO PAULO'S PUBLIC CANCER INSTITUTE (INSTITUTO DO CANCER) VARIOUS OF TERMINAL CANCER PATIENT JORGE COCER WATCHING BRAZIL'S WORLD CUP MATCH IN HOSPITAL ROOM COCER'S SON AND WIFE WATCHING GAME WITH HIM IN HOSPITAL ROOM NURSE GIVING COCER DRUGS WHILE HE WATCHES GAME COCER SLAPPING HIS BRAZIL HAT DURING MATCH COCER AND HIS WIFE SUELY COCER WATCHING GAME CLOSE OF SUELY COCER SITTING NEXT TO HER HUSBAND (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CANCER PATIENT'S WIFE, SUELY COCER, SAYING: "I think this (World Cup) helps a lot. Everything that takes him (patient) off this hospital routine helps a lot. It helps take the focus off (the disease) because the person is feeling bad and ill, so this helps out a great deal." VARIOUS OF CANCER PATIENT, MARCIA REBECA, WEARING BRAZIL COSTUME AND WATCHING GAME ON SMALL PORTABLE TV SET WHILE RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY NURSE CHANGING REBECA'S MEDICATION CLOSE OF BRAZIL BRACELETS ON REBECA'S ARM (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CANCER PATIENT, MARCIA REBECA, SAYING: "I think that for everyone who has cancer, who is being treated for cancer with chemotherapy which everyone knows is a difficult thing, it's a difficult treatment and a serious disease -- I think it is important for us to forget the disease and the treatment a bit and try to live well, live with happiness and joy and take part in all the happy things in life because this helps us to have a much better recovery." CLOSE OF BRAZILIAN FLAG SET UP OUTSIDE TV ROOM WHERE WORLD CUP GAMES ARE DISPLAYED IN HOSPITAL DOCTORS, NURSES AND OTHER HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES WATCHING GAME HOSPITAL WORKER EATING POPCORN WHILE WATCHING GAME VIEW OF HOSPITAL WORKERS WATCHING GAME CLOSE OF HOSPITAL WORKER BITING HER NAILS HOSPITAL WORKERS WATCHING GAME CLOSE OF HOSPITAL WORKER BITING ON HIS NAILS HOSPITAL WORKERS WATCHING GAME CLOSE OF HOSPITAL WORKER WATCHING GAME (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) PSYCHOLOGIST, PAULO ANTONIO, SAYING: "It's common to be with a patient while listening to the game outside, hearing people celebrate outside, but when you're with a patient you're busy with him and it is impossible to pay attention to the game. But when we manage to participate, to stop and watch it is great." VARIOUS OF HOSPITAL WORKERS WATCHING GAME CLOSE OF HOSPITAL WORKER CRYING BY THE END OF MATCH
  • Embargoed: 18th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAU7YJEOPY8Y1PFCTQ86XEBZPY
  • Story Text: In Brazil's business capital Sao Paulo, patients and doctors of Latin America's largest cancer hospital stop to support their national squad, which was sent back home by the Netherlands.
    As the referee in South Africa blows his whistle, across the world, at the São Paulo's Cancer Hospital, patient Jorge Cocer Neto is able to take his mind off his throat cancer at least for the next 90 minutes of Brazil's World Cup match on Friday (July 2).
    Although the ending was not happy for Brazil, that was unceremoniously dumped out of the championship by the Netherlands, the doctors and patients of this hospital supported their team until the end.
    Fifty-six-year-old soccer fan Cocer, who has terminal throat cancer, was joined by his son and wife Suely for what will likely be his last World Cup match.
    Suely Cocer said the championship was helping her husband deal with his illness in a better way.
    "I think this (World Cup) helps a lot. Everything that takes him (patient) off this hospital routine helps a lot. It helps take the focus off (the disease) because the person is feeling bad and ill, so this helps out a great deal," she said.
    In a nearby chemotherapy room, cancer patient Marcia Rebeca, fully dressed in green and yellow, held a small portable TV set to make sure she did not miss a second of the game.
    Rebeca, who has been battling a breast cancer for the past seven months, said she was going to try to go back home in time to watch the second half with her family.
    She said supporting Brazil and being happy helped her recovery process.
    "I think that for everyone who has cancer, who is being treated for cancer with chemotherapy which everyone knows is a difficult thing, it's a difficult treatment and a serious disease -- I think it is important for us to forget the disease and the treatment a bit and try to live well, live with happiness and joy and take part in all the happy things in life because this helps us to have a much better recovery," she said.
    Meanwhile, just a few floors below, doctors, nurses and other hospital personnel gathered in a room to watch the game.
    Most companies in Brazil let their employees go home one hour before World Cup games -- a privilege which most health workers cannot have.
    To give their workers a chance to see the five times world champions play, the hospital's board set up big screens in three rooms throughout the 28-story building.
    Psychologist Paulo Antonio said it was a great privilege to be able to stop and watch the World Cup games with his colleagues.
    "It's common to be with a patient while listening to the game outside, hearing people celebrate outside, but when you're with a patient you're busy with him and it is impossible to pay attention to the game. But when we manage to participate, to stop and watch it is great," he said.
    But with Brazil's 2-1 defeat this hospital's patients only hope to be around long enough to see their national squad fight for its sixth title at home in 2014.
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