The death of Oscar Schmidt at the age of 68 this Friday (17) in São Paulo ends a trajectory that, beyond the courts, was marked by a long and public battle against brain cancer. Since 2011, when he received the diagnosis, the former player has lived with relapses, intensive treatments and even a cardiac episode which, according to him, was the moment he most feared dying.
Oscar was admitted to the Santa Ana Municipal Hospital and Maternity Hospital (HMSA), in Santana de Parnaíba, in Greater São Paulo. The cause of death has not yet been released. He was married to Maria Cristina, with whom he had two children: Filipe and Stephanie. The former player was the brother of presenter Tadeu Schmidt, from “Big Brother Brasil”, and uncle of beach volleyball athlete Bruno Schmidt, gold medalist at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
The story with cancer began abruptly, during a trip to the United States. In an episode that he himself described as chaotic, Oscar passed out while with his family.
Imaging tests revealed a tumor measuring about eight centimeters on the surface of the brain. “A softball,” in his words. He decided to return to Brazil for treatment.
On May 25, 2011, Oscar, then 53 years old, had a nodule removed in an operation carried out at Albert Einstein Hospital, in São Paulo. The tumor was classified as grade 2 — not benign, but also not the most aggressive. After the procedure, he returned to his routine and claimed to be cured.
“This tumor really got the wrong guy. I’m not going to let it kill me,” he said in 2013.
On April 30, 2013, Oscar underwent new surgery. At the age of 55, the Brazilian basketball legend had a brain tumor removed, continuing his fight against cancer. At the time, the neurosurgeon who operated on him, Marcos de Queiroz Teles Gomes, stated that Oscar was undergoing radiotherapy sessions and that his tumors were malignant and aggressive.
In 2014, in the United States, Mão Santa reported having suffered an arrhythmia, in an episode that was not related to cancer. In 2015, during the Olympic hearing held at Sheethe said who thought he was going to die.
“This time I thought I was going to die. My breathing stopped, I vomited a lot, I went to the hospital and they did a procedure where they ‘kill and resuscitate'”, the former player told the newspaper in November 2015.
At the time, the greatest scorer in the history of the Olympic Games stated that he was taking 12 medications a day and was also undergoing chemotherapy monthly.
In the following years, the former player began to live with cancer as a chronic condition. He continued with monthly chemotherapy sessions.
Despite the severity, he insisted on maintaining an active life, with lectures, trips and public appearances. He also said that the disease had changed his way of living. “I’m living, and very well,” he said in an interview.
During treatment, Oscar also sought complementary alternatives, always with the knowledge of doctors. He even reported visits to mediums and spiritual leaders. At the same time, he maintained a critical stance in relation to miraculous solutions. “Good treatment is my doctor”, he said.
In 2022, after more than a decade of treatment, Oscar made the decision to stop chemotherapy. “I stopped. I decided to stop myself,” he said in an interview. According to him, the experience with the disease had changed his relationship with death.
“I was terrified of dying. Closing my eyes and not waking up again. That was terrifying. And, thanks to the tumor, I lost that fear.”
From then on, he began to prioritize spending time with his family and a routine more focused on quality of life.
“You don’t need to feel sorry for me, because I don’t feel sorry for myself,” he said. “I’m sick and I’m enjoying life more than ever.”
