Fernandez prepares for surgery

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, who will have cancer surgery next week, thanked regional leaders and Argentines for their support today in her first appearance since her illness was made public. Fifty-eight year old Fernandez has a papillary carcinoma, the most common form of thyroid cancer, and there is no sign the disease has spread. Doctors say she has a very high chance of recovery and will not need chemotherapy or radiotherapy. “I want to say thanks for the showing of solidarity and affection from all Argentines and also from my Presidential friends. You can imagine who was the first to call me last night. I finished work at ten and he was already calling me. And so I answered the phone at the residency and it was Hugo Chavez Frias, the first president to call me,” said Fernandez. Chavez and Paraguay's Fernando Lugo both underwent chemotherapy recently while former Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is currently being treated for throat cancer