Senator Kennedy was joined in a Mass. General solarium Tuesday by his son Patrick; stepson Curran Raclin; son Edward M. Kennedy Jr.; daughter Kara Kennedy; and wife, Victoria.
Posted on 05/21/2008 7:25:06 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
US Senator Edward M. Kennedy left Massachusetts General Hospital this morning, a day after the world learned that the last surviving brother of the famed Kennedy clan had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.
Kennedy departed from the hospital with his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, just after at 10 a.m.
"Senator Kennedy has recovered remarkably quickly from his Monday procedure and therefore will be released from the hospital today ahead of schedule," according to a statement from doctors issued by the hospital. "He will return to his home on Cape Cod while we await further test results and determine treatment plans. He's feeling well and eager to get started."
Some 20 reporters and photographers waited outside the hospital for Kennedy to emerge, with more than a dozen cameras pointed at the complex's Wang Entrance. A noisy news helicopter hovered overhead, with the thwack of its rotor blades echoing in the street.
The prognosis appears uncertain for the political icon. Kennedy's diagnosis was announced three days after the 76-year-old senator was stricken at the family's Hyannis Port compound. Doctors at Mass. General conducted a battery of tests, including a biopsy, and identified a cancerous mass on the top left portion of his brain as the cause of his seizure.
The news sent shockwaves across Massachusetts, which he has represented in the Senate for more than 45 years, and across Washington, where he is held in high esteem by Democrats and Republicans alike. Many of his Senate colleagues were visibly shaken, some tearing up, and they quickly expressed their hope for the best possible outcome.
"The usual course of treatment includes combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy," said the statement by Dr. Lee Schwamm, a neurologist, and Dr. Larry Ronan, Kennedy's primary care physician.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Senator Kennedy was joined in a Mass. General solarium Tuesday by his son Patrick; stepson Curran Raclin; son Edward M. Kennedy Jr.; daughter Kara Kennedy; and wife, Victoria.
He got much better treatment than Mary Jo ....
Now, how will Obama use this as a campaign gambit?
Where Sen. Kennedy, is concerned, I must choose between silence, hypocrisy, or a deleted post. I’ll choose silence.
Except to offer a prayer that he not suffer physically, and a prayer for his family, for the difficult times ahead.
Prayers for his family and himself. I do wish him the best in the upcoming battle he’s sure to be fighting. Very sad, but am glad he is getting to go home.
Chappaquiddick Chappaquiddick Chappaquiddick Chappaquiddick
Umm . . . that’s not silence.
In as much as 12-18 months is "uncertain".
Though I strongly oppose most of what he stands for, there is nonetheless sadness about this whole thing. Cancer is a horrible disease, I lost my father at a much to young an age of 56 to it. Kennedy deserves our sympathies and prayers of which I send them on his behalf to the Throne of Grace as I type this.
Whatever. Call it like you see it.
BTTT!
This happened because HillaryCare was a bust?
I just think it’s funny from a philosophical perspective. You said that you didn’t say anything.
I may not agree with his politics, I do feel for his family in this ordeal. Brain tumor patients are very difficult to deal with towards the end, he wont feel a thing but those around him will.
May not be silent, and why should it be?
It was, however, honest.
We all gotta go sometime. The time you have now, Senator, is a gift. You might want to use it wisely and pray for forgiveness for some of the terrible things you’ve championed over your life, like abortion.
Sorry. I forgot the < rhetorical-artifact > < /rhetorical-artifact> tags. :-)
They’ll pay to have someone handle the tough days.
He’ll spin this event into gold.
OJ #2
“......he won’t feel a thing but those around him will...”
Wow, there’s Kennedy’s legislative mindset and legacy summarized very concisely.
He, instead, got the best medical treatment he could afford.
That’s nice. Mary Jo never had a chance to see her family again.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
U.S Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) (2nd from L) gives a thumbs up as he walks out of Massachusetts General Hospital with his daughter Kara (far L), his son U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) (2nd from R) and his wife Victoria in Boston, Massachusetts May 21, 2008. Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (UNITED STATES)
If you have been with someone who died from glioma brain cancer then you would know there is no relief for the pain even at the end. The drugs given to try to stop the pain have their own terrible side effects that rob the sufferer of human dignity. It is a hard way to die. Godpseed Ted Kennedy and remembering others who have suffered so, and pray God’s grace touches Ted and others through this travail.
Great comment!
lets face the facts here - given his advanced age, prognosis is grim
Given Mary Jo's lost voice, I can only pray that God is merciful with him, and his physical pain is minimal
Where’s Joan?
AND you can bet your sweet bippy he did not have to WAIT EIGHT HOURS in the ER like the rest of us would have been forced to do.
Very few “family” without medical training can handle the task of being with a glioma sufferer into death. Be careful of who and what you criticize.
Hospice is a wonderful organization- the people who do the work are angels on earth.
My husband had brain tumors, I know all too well what to expect. The best thing the Kennedy family could do for Ted is to pray the Lord takes him quickly.
LOL, I bet you wouldn’t let what Mom said get in your way.
Hey, he is a politician. I am very sorry about his diagnosis. Bad thing to have. If he were an everyday guy, unable to really have any kind of effect on the lives of others, not too many would have anything bad to say about him.
I hope he lives even longer, like Byrd. What can one say?
I no longer know if this post will last.
What do you think?
I wouldn’t wish this type of disease on my worst enemy.
Prayers for you and your family Mr. Kennedy.
Let your seat go, rest and enjoy the time you have left.
I think Joan is pretty much fried from the ravages of alcohol abuse and surviving breast cancer, and is under constant care of a personal attendant. Anyway I doubt her presence as ex-wife would be appropriate beside the newer wife.
I’m sorry for your loss. This whole story probably brings back many terrible memories.
Prayers for Senator Kennedy and his family.
She wasn't an alcoholic at the time of her marriage to the senator. She fought the Church's annulment of her marriage, not due to any love for her spouse, but because she wondered aloud what that meant her children were if there was no marriage.
It was not honest. You said you had chosen “silence” while you were not being silent.
You made your statement that you really don’t like the guy. That’s not what momma meant when she said “if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything.”
Prayers for Senator Kennedy and his family. This is very sad news.
If you've never tried it, don't comment. My wife and I did a week with my father in that condition last summer, and it took me about a month to physically recover from it. Mentally, I still get the occasional nightmare.
We were incredibly fortunate to get him into nursing care for the last month of his life. How those people can do that job day in and day out, I will never know.
All of the politicians will try take advantage of Kennedy’s illness. They’ll all be jockying to be attached to these last days, be his “closest friend”, most recent visitor.
Kerry already did. In commenting the other day about Kennedy’s brain tumor he inserted himself in his condolences. “I went to visit him yesterday.”
Pathetic.
Boston, MA - Senator Ted Kennedy today could have complications from a delayed brain tumor diagnosis.
Apparently, Mr. Kennedy entered Massachusetts General Hospital early Sunday morning and was required to wait in the emergency room waiting room for more than four hours as many illegal aliens had crowded the emergency room.
A hospital spokesman commented that there were “a larger amount of undocumented migrant workers” due to the cranberry harvest.
La Raza and Senator’s Kennedy’s offices were not available for comment.
If you want a really sad story, the one of Joan is the saddest.
I won’t mention why. Prayers up for Joan. I saw some horrible pictures and stories about how she was treated.
No one deserves that.
Thank you, you see I was not criticizing anyone I speak from experience. I watched a very loving man turn into someone that could be viscous one minute and a crying baby the next. We had no clue that he had cancer until it was too late and he was left paralyzed, yet every Doctor we spoke to wanted to give some sort of treatments that only made him worse, physically & mentally. In all honesty it would of been best to let God take over and let the disease take its coarse and only give comfort care.
At Teds age his family really should consider this.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.