Atlético Madrid midfielder’s comeback from brain cancer and mother’s paralysis
Atlético Madrid’s midfielder Antonio Luna has returned to training after recovering from a rare cancer he had in his brain which had previously been treated with radiation.
Luna, from Ecuador, was diagnosed with a type of cancer called glioblastoma last April and died in May. However, he returned to playing for the club in August, scoring a hat-trick against Valencia in the UEFA Champions League in the second leg of the quarter-final tie.
Speaking to the Guardian, Luna’s mother, Adriana, said that her son had never really left the club but had returned to training to complete the treatment and that “the light is in the eye of the beholder”. “It’s hard to believe that I’m walking again,” Adriana said. “We haven’t been back to the club yet but we’re going to go back to see him and he can’t wait to see his friends and family. He’s so happy, he never stops smiling and is full of life.”
Luna’s comeback came at a difficult time for him. On Tuesday, Adriana said: “I have nothing to complain about, my life is good, I have everything. I have one wish, that is for my son to be happy. I always tell him that you get married and have kids and I’ll be waiting for you. If he has to make decisions and he has to choose who to give his body to… I want him to make his choices and I have to be happy.
“The other day, my son said to me: ‘I have two decisions: either to take my life or to stop being a footballer.”
He added: “I don’t understand because it has never affected him in any way. As a mother, you never get used to things. When you have your first child, you go away for 18 months. That’s how it is. I had to go to Spain to see my son. I had to see him just as a coach would do. The doctors did tests. He started to take medication but nothing was done.