The Wife of Brazilian Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Marisa Leticia, Dies

02/03/2017 - 19h54

The former first lady Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva, 66, died on Friday (03) victim of complications caused by a strokes.

According to a person very close to Lula's family, there has been an increase in Marisa's cerebral pressure and also pressure on a cerebral edema that she has as a consequence of a hemorrhagic stroke that she suffered a week ago.

The family doctor, cardiologist Robert kafil Filho, told journalists last night that the prognosis for the former first lady is "irreversible". The former president's family on Thusday morning (the 2nd) authorized the procedures for donating her organs.

Marisa Letícia has been under treatment at the Sírio-Libanês hospital in São Paulo since January 24th, when she suffered a cerebral vascular event.

On Monday (the 30th), an exam detected the occurrence of "deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs".

	Editoria de Arte/Folhapress
	The former first lady Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva, 66, died victim of complications caused by a strokes

NOTHING CHANGES

Marisa never liked having domestic employees. She herself was the one who took care of the house cleaning and bills. Her favorite pastime was caring for the plants.

When she became First Lady, however, Workers' Party leaders believed that she should work in governmental social programs, since she had in fact been an important figure in the founding of the party.

Many times, she had been stopped by people in the street with Party registrations in their hands, which served to convince her that it was important to organize the Workers Party.

Her efforts were so notable that there is a legend within the party that it was Marisa herself who sewed the star on the first Workers Party flag.

But in this regard, Workers' Party leaders say that Marisa disappointed them. In the eight years of her husband's government, from 2003 to 2010, she didn't involve herself directly in any project, contrary to what she had promised, and assumed an almost hidden role, with appearances beside Lula only at major events and ceremonies.

She never spoke publicly. Her repulsion to crowds was well known. She hated to "keep running away from journalists" and promised that "nothing" would change if Lula were elected as President of the Republic.

"I'm not going to be drinking tea at five o'clock with madams from the LBA (Brazilian Assistance Legion)", Marisa said in an interview with the Folha during the presidential campaign of 1989, a race that Lula lost to Fenando Collor.

Her posture as a militant also found a home in the crisis of former president Dilma Rousseff, with whom Marisa had never had a good relationship. The former First Lady was known for saying that Dilma was responsible for the damage to the image of the Workers' Party and complained, many times, that Dilma, who was president at the time, didn't publicly defend Lula when the Lava Jato (Car Wash) operation started.

Marisa Letícia was investigated together with Lula regarding the acquisition and remodeling of a triplex apartment in Guarujá (SP).

She was also mentioned in the investigations regarding the remodeling of a county home in Atibaia (SP), which was used by the former president's family.

She was identified by others close to her as the person who requested - and managed - the work supposedly paid for by construction companies.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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