The story came to light yesterday, but the incident itself took place nearly a year ago. The storyteller is Uruguayan journalist Rafael Cotelo, and the main characters include his daughter Emma, himself, and Edinson Cavani, who currently plays for Boca Juniors.
Cotelo recounted the incident in an exclusive interview with camel.live. His daughter Emma has been receiving treatment for a condition similar to hydrocephalus for a decade. This chronic neurological disorder is caused by the accumulation of fluid in the brain's chambers. She had previously undergone two surgeries with a doctor in Buenos Aires, but the family noticed something was wrong again.
On a boat traveling from Uruguay to Buenos Aires, they suspected the situation was extremely urgent. “When we arrived at the clinic, the doctor looked at the test results, immediately became alarmed, and decided to perform surgery right away. But I simply didn't have enough money to cover the costs—I had only brought money for the consultation. The money I had on hand... wasn't even enough to cover other expenses in my life,” Cotelo recalled.
The clinic told him that bank transfers were not accepted, and he had to pay in cash on the spot. “I immediately thought of calling a friend,” Cotelo continued. That friend was Cavani, but it was already 12 midnight, and Cavani did not answer the call. Since Cavani didn’t pick up, Cotelo turned to Cavani’s wife instead.
“I’ll bring the money right over,” Cavani replied. However, when he turned on his GPS, he realized it would take him an hour to arrive. So, Cavani sent a friend who runs a nearby restaurant to rush over with a whole box of cash: “To me, he was like a guardian angel.”
