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'I've a lot to be grateful for'
03/07/2006 13:42 - (SA)
Cape Town - A cheerful former president FW de Klerk was discharged from hospital on Monday morning following surgery to remove a malignant colon tumour and subsequent respiratory complications.
"I've been surrounded by love and carried by prayer," he told journalists before entering a waiting Mercedes outside the doors of the Panorama Medi-Clinic.
Walking with the aid of a cane, the 70-year-old De Klerk spoke in a strong voice despite the bandage of a tracheotomy operation still visible at his throat.
Asked how he felt, he called back: "How do I look?" Told that he looked well, he said: "I'm feeling as good as I look."
No additional cancerous sites
He said he wasn't fully recovered, but that his recovery so far had been "remarkable".
"I have so much to be grateful for," he said.
He said he was deeply grateful for the prayers and good wishes he had received from many people, and would try to thank as many of them personally as possible.
He said he was going to rest for a bit, "and then start working again".
De Klerk, who got into the vehicle somewhat gingerly, was accompanied by his wife Elita, his aide Dave Steward, and his physiotherapist.
He was operated on to remove the tumour on June 3, but then developed a serious lung infection, and at one point was put on a ventilator in intensive care.
In a statement, the FW de Klerk Foundation said doctors didn't find any additional cancerous sites during or after his initial operation.
All engagements cancelled
"His prognosis remains excellent," the statement read.
"However, he will be consulting with them during the coming weeks on the advisability of taking a preventative course of chemotherapy."
He would spend "some time" recuperating and regaining his strength. He had cancelled all engagements until August 15 after which he would resume his activities "at an appropriate level and tempo".
De Klerk was president from 1989 to 1994, when he handed over the reins to Nelson Mandela after South Africa's first democratic elections.
He retired from active politics in 1997, and now lives with Elita on a wine farm outside Paarl and plays an active role in his foundation, a body he set up in 2000 to play "a positive and constructive " role in the continuation of South Africa's democratic transformation.
- SAPA
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