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Ted Kennedy has cancerous brain tumor
Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, stands with Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., during a rally for Obama at American University on Monday, Jan. 28, 2008, in Washington. Kennedy was hospitalized Saturday, May 17, 2008, after becoming ill at his Hyannis, Mass., home. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
More Nation & World BOSTON -- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor Tuesday in what could be the grim final chapter in a life marked by exhilarating triumph and shattering tragedy. Some experts gave the liberal lion less than a year to live.
Doctors discovered the tumor after the 76-year-old senator and sole surviving son of America's most storied political family suffered a seizure over the weekend. The diagnosis cast a pall over Capitol Hill, where the Massachusetts Democrat has served since 1962, and came as a shock to a family all too accustomed to sudden, calamitous news.
"Ted Kennedy and the Kennedy family have faced adversity more times in more instances with more courage and more determination and more grace than most families have to," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. "Every one of us knows what a big heart this fellow has. He's helped millions and millions of people -- from the biggest of legislation on the floor to the most personal."
Kerry added: "This guy is one unbelievable fighter."
Kennedy's doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital said he had a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe, a region of the brain that helps govern sensation, movement and language.
Seizures can be caused by a wide variety of things, some of them relatively minor. The finding of a brain tumor -- and specifically a glioma, an especially lethal type -- was about the worst possible news.
Kennedy's doctors said he will remain in the hospital for the next couple of days as they consider chemotherapy and radiation. They did not mention surgery, a possible indication the tumor is inoperable.
Outside experts gave him no more than three years -- and perhaps far less.
"As a general rule, at 76, without the ability to do a surgical resection, as kind of a ballpark figure you're probably looking at a survival of less than a year," said Dr. Keith Black, chairman of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
In a statement, Dr. Lee Schwamm, vice chairman of neurology at Massachusetts General, and Dr. Larry Ronan, Kennedy's primary physician, said the senator "has had no further seizures, remains in good overall condition, and is up and walking around the hospital."
"He remains in good spirits and full of energy," the physicians said.
An Associated Press photographer who was given access to the senator on Tuesday captured Kennedy, dressed in a gray sweater and dark slacks, joking and laughing with family members as he sat at a table in a family room at the hospital.
Kennedy's wife since 1992, Vicki, and his five children and stepchildren have been at his bedside.
"Obviously it's tough news for any son to hear," said Robin Costello, a spokeswoman for one of Kennedy's sons, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I. "He's comforted by the fact that his dad is such a fighter, and if anyone can get through something as challenging as this, it would be his father."
Kennedy, the Senate's second-longest serving member, was re-elected in 2006 and is not up for election again until 2012. Were he to resign or die in office, state law requires a special election for the seat 145 to 160 days afterward.
Among the potential Democratic candidates: Martha Coakley, the state's attorney general; Rep. Edward J. Markey; former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, Kennedy's nephew; and Kennedy's wife. The Republican contenders could include former Gov. Mitt Romney or former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey.
Kennedy has left his stamp on a raft of health care, pension and immigration legislation during four decades in the Senate.
Senators of both parties heard about Kennedy's condition during their weekly, closed-door policy lunches, and some looked drawn or misty-eyed.
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., wept as he prayed for "my dear, dear friend, dear friend, Ted Kennedy" during a speech on the Senate floor.
"Keep Ted here for us and for America," said the 90-year-old Byrd, who is in a wheelchair. He added: "Ted, Ted, Ted. My dear friend. I love you and miss you."
"I'm really sad. He's the one politician who brings tears to my eyes when he speaks," said former Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., who happened to be in the Capitol.
In a statement, President Bush saluted Kennedy as "a man of tremendous courage, remarkable strength and powerful spirit." He added: "We join our fellow Americans in praying for his full recovery."
Malignant gliomas are diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year. In general, half of all patients die within a year.
"It's treatable but not curable. You can put it into remission for a while but it's not a curable tumor," said Dr. Suriya Jeyapalan, a neuroncologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
The Kennedy family has been struck by tragedy over and over. Kennedy's eldest brother, Joseph, died in a World War II plane crash; President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963; and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. The tragedies thrust "Uncle Teddy" into the role of surrogate parent to his brothers' children. He walked Caroline Kennedy down the aisle.
A high point in his life came in 1980, when Kennedy challenged Jimmy Carter for the Democratic presidential nomination. He eventually bowed out with a stirring speech in which he declared, "The cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die." His eulogy for his brother Robert was equally stirring.
The low point was 1969, when Kennedy drove a car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island on Martha's Vineyard. The accident killed aide Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy at the time was married to his first wife, Joan, whom he later divorced. The tragedy may well have cost him the presidency.
Kennedy has been active for his age, maintaining an aggressive schedule on Capitol Hill and across Massachusetts. He has made several campaign appearances for Sen. Barack Obama.
"He fights for what he thinks is right. And we want to make sure that he's fighting this illness," Obama said Tuesday. "And it's our job now to support him in the way that he has supported us for so many years."
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said: "Ted Kennedy's courage and resolve are unmatched, and they have made him one of the greatest legislators in Senate history. Our thoughts are with him and Vicki and we are praying for a quick and full recovery."
Last summer, Kennedy announced a deal with a publisher to write a memoir, scheduled to come out in 2010.
Posted by ebtry on May 21, 2008 at 12:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
oh gawd... here we go again. Another kennedy on the brink of a painful death. Once this murderous crook dies, the country will shut down in mourning.
Posted by junebug on May 21, 2008 at 12:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You make me physically ill. I'm sure that no one will mourn your passing . . . given your total lack of compassion, I doubt you have anyone who cares.
Unbelievable!
Posted by hatestheramps on May 21, 2008 at 1:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have to admit, there is no politician that I will miss less than Teddy Kennedy. I am tired of watching him lie on TV.
Posted by ranchero63bob on May 21, 2008 at 2 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Old Teddy got away with murder(no pun intended) in 1969.If that were you or me we'd still be behind bars or put to sleep.
Posted by jimmypickens on May 21, 2008 at 2:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have not heard when/if he will begin his cancer treatment in Havana or in some undisclosed location in Canada. This is Sen. Kennedy's chance to show us Americans how good the healthcare system is in Cuba/Canada, which he has always admired.
Posted by squid on May 21, 2008 at 3:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"You make me physically ill."
junebug, we already knew you were there mentally.....
Posted by junebug on May 21, 2008 at 4:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Nah, squid, I'm completely and totally sane.
However, folks who make stupid remarks such as yours and the other unfeeling people here make me very ill. I don't have any personal feelings about Teddy Kennedy one way or the other . . . I don't have to vote for him, but as a human being who is dying from a horrible disease such as this, I have compassion for him and his family. I'd even have compassion for you folks who apparently have nothing better to do than be bitter, hate-filled and miserable. Actually, I do have compassion for you.
Later!
Posted by ebtry on May 21, 2008 at 5:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
His family deserves no passion at all given the way they manipulate Americans and will stop at nothing at all to have things their way.
Guess ole ted boy may not be able to buy his way out of this one....
As for my comment making you physically ill, sorry about that but point made on the affect that family has on people they don't even know.
Think of how he makes Mary Jo's family feel!!
Posted by Daisy on May 21, 2008 at 5:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I couldn't agree with junebug more. I can't believe the lack of compassion coming from this so-called Christian community. WWJD? Oh yeah, he'd slam a man with a terminal illness. I remember that part of the Gospel.
Posted by saltydog on May 21, 2008 at 6:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ted Kennedy makes me ill just thinking about him.
He killed that poor girl in 1969. No doubt about it.
Posted by laj on May 21, 2008 at 7:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have very mixed feelings. As a person, he has done great harm to many people and this country. As a human, its sad. I would like for him to go to Cuba for treatement to demonstrate what "he believes" about our health care system. Maybe that will be a great lasting legacy as we see them heal him!
Posted by gnreed on May 21, 2008 at 7:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds like a very christian community we have here in Abilene.
Posted by iceman on May 21, 2008 at 7:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ted has been sick in the head for 76 years.
Posted by gnreed on May 21, 2008 at 7:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Still alot smarter than SHRUB.
Posted by renoij on May 21, 2008 at 8:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
GNREED, Bush has never murdered anyone. He is a good family man. President Bush is a graduate of YALE and HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL. I do not believe those universities give away diplomas.
Oh by the way, Kennedy was EXPELLED from Harvard for cheating. He cheated on his wives, He killed his mistress, what more can be said.
Integrity is one of the greatest assets any person can have. Kennedy will have a lasting legacy on our country and it will not be positive.
Posted by gnreed on May 21, 2008 at 8:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
renoij: I think you have been living in a cave. I am not EVEN going to attempt to explain it to you.
Posted by iceman on May 21, 2008 at 8:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Marxist do have there own point of view.
Posted by gnreed on May 21, 2008 at 8:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
For a so-called christian city, some of you folks amaze me. Congressmen, including MANY REPUBLICANS have been on TV the past several days talking about what a great man Kennedy is. Some of you folks in Abilene have such a hatred for anyone that doesn't have a R beside their name or vote republican. I don't believe GOD really cares if you vote Republican or not. It is what is in your heart.
Posted by iceman on May 21, 2008 at 8:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have a higher regard for a streetwalker on south 1st. than most congressman
Posted by gnreed on May 21, 2008 at 8:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't wish or celebrate sickness on anyone. Congressman, lawyers, doctors, no matter who. It is very sad when anyone suffers from what Mr Kennedy has.
Posted by iceman on May 21, 2008 at 8:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Very true gnreed 8:26 It may have been best if I just had not said anything.
Posted by renoij on May 21, 2008 at 8:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
GNREED, the points I made were straight from the encyclopedia. That are FACTS. And you answer is typical, you just do not answer it but make silly comments. AND it was answering your comments about Bush.
NOW for the illness of Sen. Kennedy. Even though I think he is lower than a snake's belly, I do not desire for him to have this brain tumor. He is still a human and will have a tough road ahead of him.
Can we not seperate the POLITICS and ACTIONS of a man, from the HUMAN element of that person? At his age, this does not look good .
Posted by gnreed on May 21, 2008 at 8:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
renoij: Newt Gingrich cheated on his wife also, but I don't care. If does not effect me. I am praying Mr. Kennedy makes a full recovery.
Posted by robertwp on May 21, 2008 at 9:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It is easy to see from these comments the difference between Democrats and Republicans.
Nice form guys. Just what we expected from you.
Posted by iceman on May 21, 2008 at 9:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think Ted is Irish. But he is more like French gar:bage
Posted by jimmypickens on May 21, 2008 at 9:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Havana or Montreal?? Either place would be good for the Dem Party convention while the Senator is undergoing the superior cancer treatment available there. Perhaps the Reverend J. Wright(Christian moral advisory to BHO) would say that it is "the chickens coming home to roost on the white guy"!
Posted by gnreed on May 21, 2008 at 10:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
jimmpimp; that is soooo cute. Hope you are doing well in the fourth grade. Have a great summer.
Posted by jimmypickens on May 22, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
A very Christian response, gnreed. WWJD?
Posted by westtex37 on May 22, 2008 at 8:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm a right-wing conservative who is praying for Senator Kennedy. I'd like to see him out of the Senate, but not like this. Hopefully, he'll recover and retire.
Posted by Steve2 on May 22, 2008 at 10:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I lost my Right-Wing Conservative Southern Baptist Republican Father to a glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor a few years back. I can't imagine anyone with a heart (Liberal or Conservative) making comments such as I've seen on this thread about his diagnosis and ultimate death ! Unfortunately, these comments do not really surprise me since bashing Kennedy has been PC for oh so long in this region ! I'll never forget the Big Country on-air bashing of Paul Wellstone by a "Christian Conservative Republican" talk show host as Wellstone, and his loved ones remains, were being recovered from their fatal plane crash.
Posted by abstractplain on May 22, 2008 at 3:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Iceman and ebtry, you need to cool it. You are despicable hateful animals. The two of you are just pit bulls that know how to type. I bet you wouldn't talk to Ted or his family like if they were in front of you, you coward. If Ted was my relative and I knew who you were you would not be able to sleep well at night.
Posted by dr__dawggy on May 22, 2008 at 4:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank you Steve2 for presenting what is certainly a Christian perspective. As a left leaning inddependent but mostly Democat voting Christian, I hope I have the good grace to pray and express support for right wingers with life threatening illnesses, even if such a tragedy befalls George W. Bush...who I consider evil incarnate.
Posted by Lady_Penelope on May 22, 2008 at 10:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment...
Posted by TexasTwister on May 23, 2008 at 12:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Steve...
You mean the same members of Sen. Wellstone's family who chose to use his nationally televised memorial service as a political pep-rally for Walter Mondale?
You mean the same respectful, compassionate, tender democrats who loudly booed every Republican as they walked into the auditorium to pay their respects to a fellow Senator? The oh-so-tolerant liberals who yelled obscenities when Republicans were shown on the large TV screen, and cheered for the Clintons and other Dems when shown during some of what was supposed to be a solemn event?
You mean those grieving Dem senators who, within 24 hours of Wellstone's death, were on every news outlet bashing his opponent and saying that Mondale should get his seat automatically, with no criticism or rebuttal from the Republicans?
Yeah....we Republicans are sooooo mean and disrespectful, aren't we. You should go on democraticunderground some time and see just how compassionate and loving your fellow libs are....it might open your eyes just a wee bit.
Posted by TexasTwister on May 23, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
One more thing, Steve....
You want to see pure, unadulterated hatred on display? Google Strom Thurmond and see how your fellow liberals celebrated his death.
I'm certainly not condoning the remarks here about Kennedy's illness, I'm simply saying that you're wrong to insinuate that conservatives are the only ones that make nasty remarks. Unfortunately, that's a trait crosses party lines.
I don't celebrate the illness he has been stricken with, and I do have compassion for his family. However, I won't miss his support for some of the most horrific legislation ever conceived.
Posted by Gus on May 23, 2008 at 6:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh for crying out loud. This is not about whether a man is a Democrat, Republican, or Indie/Whatever. It's about a horrible diagnosis with an almost certain horrible outcome.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The meanest people I have ever met in Abilene Texas (or anywhere for that matter) sit in a church pew every Sunday.
I think you will all be surprised when on judgement day there are a few Kennedys present. Well...on second thought, you might not be there to experience it.
Posted by iceman on May 23, 2008 at 6:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"The meanest people i have ever met sit in a church pew every Sunday" Abilene is controlled from the Church Of Christ deacons bench Have you not noticed?
Posted by Steve2 on May 23, 2008 at 9:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
TexasTwister, I'm certainly glad you are not condoning the nasty remarks here about Kennedy's illness, and I never insinuated that these type of comments and nasty remarks come only from conservatives. My post reflects my experience with the so called "compassionate conservatives" in this region of the Country and their nasty comments about Kennedy and Wellstone !
My Repost:
I lost my Right-Wing Conservative Southern Baptist Republican Father to a glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor a few years back. I can't imagine anyone with a heart (Liberal or Conservative) making comments such as I've seen on this thread about his diagnosis and ultimate death ! Unfortunately, these comments do not really surprise me since bashing Kennedy has been PC for oh so long in this region ! I'll never forget the Big Country on-air bashing of Paul Wellstone by a "Christian Conservative Republican" talk show host as Wellstone, and his loved ones remains, were being recovered from their fatal plane crash.
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