MADRID (Reuters) - Seve Ballesteros was in exuberant form Thursday at his first news conference since his collapse in October and four operations to remove a brain tumor.
Presenting his new cancer research foundation, a tanned but frail-looking Ballesteros, with a livid scar on the side of his head, spoke about the "miracle" of his survival, cracking jokes and peppering his speech with typically colorful language.
The Spanish five-times major winner thanked the doctors and staff of Madrid`s La Paz hospital who saved him and expressed his gratitude for the support of his family and to all those who had sent messages of goodwill.
"A few months ago my life was hanging by a thread but I managed to get through it," the 52-year-old said.
"This is like a dream," he added. "It was very tough at the beginning. And when the doctors explained all they had done in my brain it`s a miracle.
"Life goes on and life is full of setbacks. You have to fight, that`s all."
Ballesteros has been recuperating at home in northern Spain while he undergoes chemotherapy and said he recently played nine holes of golf with his son.
"He beat me but it was a big effort," he said. "In time I will beat him."
He recalled how his doctors had explained that the tumor in his brain was the size of two golf balls. "I am a better person because the doctors took out the bad bit," he joked.
He said his new foundation will also seek to help young golfers of limited means.
"My beginnings as a caddie were not easy and I had the good fortune to be able to rely on a number of people who helped my career take off," he said.
"Golf has given me everything and I am especially pleased to be able to support and help young people in need."
(Editing by Ed Osmond;)
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