Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said he is upbeat about hip replacement surgery he is about to undergo and he will avoid being seen with a walker so as not to look feeble.
"I am going to look after myself with a lot of affection. I am optimistic," Lula, 77, said during a weekly programme he holds on social media.
Lula will undergo surgery on Friday to replace a hip that has been giving him pain for months.
He said he plans to work while he convalesces but will pause his normally busy travel schedule and stay in the capital Brasilia for a few weeks.
UN Climate change meeting
He said he plans to attend a big UN climate change meeting in the United Arab Emirates in November.
Lula said he will probably need a walker to get around at first but that on the advice of his official photographer he will not be seen in public using the device.
"You will not see me with a walker or on crutches. You will see me handsome always, as if I had not undergone surgery," Lula said with a chuckle.
