Oh No! Prayers for Senator Edward Kennedy- it's a malignant brain tumor

[5fromabove]

"Doctor's just released that A cancerous brain tumor caused the seizure Sen. Edward M. Kennedy suffered over the weekend, doctors said Tuesday in a grim diagnosis for one of American politics' most enduring figures.

The Massachusetts Democrat as a malignant glioma in the left parietal-lobe, according to doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, where Kennedy, 76, has been undergoing tests since Saturday after having a seizure at his Cape Cod home. ....

Kennedy, the second-longest serving member of the Senate and a dominant figure in national Democratic Party politics, was elected in 1962, filling out the term won by his brother, John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy eldest brother, Joseph, was killed in a World War II airplane crash. President John Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and his brother Robert was assassinated in 1968.

Kennedy is active for his age, maintaining an aggressive schedule on Capitol Hill and across Massachusetts. He has made several campaign appearances for the Illinois senator in February, and most recently another in April.

Kennedy, the senior senator from Massachusetts and the Senate's second-longest serving member, was re-elected in 2006 and is not up for election again until 2012. "

Here's hoping for a miracle.

[pogo]

This is sad news ! Prayers and to him and the whole family !

[SBETigg]

I was very sad to hear the news. It's hard to imagine a Massachusetts without Ted Kennedy. I wish him and his family all the best.

[disneydeb]

He is from a family of great American heroes.
I'll be sure to say a prayer for him and our country.

[Carol]

WARNING:

Folks - all political and nasty comments have been removed from this thread.

If you do not have prayers to offer - hit the back button on your browser and refrain from posting.

[Grumpy's Daughter]

Unfortunately, two months ago, a friend of ours was diagnosed with this same exact thing. But fortunately for him, his was on the outside of the brain, so surgery has hopefully removed all of the tumor, but he is still scheduled to go through several rounds of chemo and radiation. It is not a pleasant thing to go through, and the family will really have a hard time with paralysis, mood swings, and all of the side effects that go along with chemo. I wish the Kennedy family all the pixie dust in the world as they go through this.

[ChipnDaleGal]

I feel awful for anyone that gets a diagnosis like this. My heart goes out to him and all the people that love him.

[murphy1]

Many pravers to them. This family has been through way too many things like this.

[ElenitaB]

Prayers for the entire family!

I have a debt of gratitude with Teddy Jr. as it was his appearance on GMA that led me to the virtual support group that has been my life support for the past 6 years. Some of you may remember that Teddy Jr. lost his leg as an adolescent to osteosarcoma.

I pray that this family's experience with the helps Teddy Sr. with the battle he is now beginning.

[Terra]

I hate to hear of anyone struggling with cancer/tumors. What a painful time for the family.
I pray much strength for all of them

[crazypoohbear]

I feel really bad for him and his family. It is tough enough getting this kind of diagnosis but then to have to deal wtih it publicly must be very difficult. I wish that the media would back off. I was watching tv when they showed him leaving the hospital and had a news helicopter follow him from Boston to the Cape. It was like watching the OJ car thing all over again. The media seems to be on a death watch and to me it just seems wrong.

[Hammer]

Kennedy out of 'successful' brain surgery

Mon Jun 2, 2:28 PM EDT
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy underwent what his doctors called successful surgery Monday to treat his cancerous brain tumor, and told his wife shortly after that he "felt like a million bucks," a family spokeswoman said.

The surgery at Duke University Medical Center took about 3 1/2 hours. He is expected to undergo chemotherapy and radiation in coming weeks. He is expected to remain at the North Carolina hospital for about a week.

The 76-year-old Massachusetts Democrat was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, a lethal type of brain tumor. Experts had said Dr. Allan Friedman — the top neurosurgeon at Duke and an internationally known tumor and vascular surgeon — was likely try to remove as much of the tumor as possible while balancing the risk of harming healthy brain tissue that affects movement and speech.

Friedman said the surgery "was successful and accomplished our goals." Kennedy was awake during the procedure, and should not experience any permanent neurological effects, he said.

"After a brief recuperation, he will begin targeted radiation at Massachusetts General Hospital and chemotherapy treatment," Friedman said. "I hope that everyone will join us in praying for Senator Kennedy to have an uneventful and robust recovery."

Family spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Kennedy spoke to his wife, Vicki, and told her: "I feel like a million bucks. I think I'll do that again tomorrow."

Kennedy was hospitalized May 17 at Massachusetts General Hospital after undergoing a seizure at his home on Cape Cod. Doctors later announced that he had a malignant glioma in his left parietal lobe, a brain region that governs sensation but also plays some role in movement and language. A malignant glioma is one of the worst kinds of brain cancer, and malignant gliomas are diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year.

Kennedy said in a statement released by his office earlier in the day that he and his wife "along with my outstanding team of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, have consulted with experts from around the country and have decided that the best course of action for my brain tumor is targeted surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation."

[tinkerbellybutton]

How sad. Many prayers to him and all of his loved ones. Plenty of pixie dust trailing those prayers.