Senator Kennedy Has Brain Surgery

It's been a rough week for Sen. Edward Kennedy, but he, as always, has taken it in stride. Smiling to the press and giving a "thumbs up" sign to reporters before entering his car to travel to the hospital with his wife, Victoria, and their two dogs, the 76-year-old Democrat has left reporters smiling despite their knowledge of his deteriorating health. Last month he was diagnosed with malignant glioma, a lethal type of brain tumor, and even with a bandage on the back of his head, likely covering a scar from his recent biopsy, he has maintained composure and issued a statement about this terrible discovery.

Representing Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate since 1962, Kennedy stands as a political icon, but after he suffered a seizure Saturday, May 17 at his home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts his fate is now in the hands of what CNN reports to be "an outstanding team of medical doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital." Kennedy's doctors said Tuesday that preliminary results from the brain biopsy showed that his seizure was caused by a tumor which had formed in his left parietal lobe. After research and consultations with experts from around the country the senator decided his best chance was surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiation to try and shrink the tumor. Associated Press reports he went to Duke University Medical Center for a risky six-hour surgery at 9 a.m. ET, soon reporting that he expected to remain hospitalized for another week to "recuperate."

His surgeon was Dr. Allan Friedman, chief in the neurosurgical division and co-director of Duke's NeuroOncology program, according to the hospital's website. The site also broadcasts that Friedman is responsible for more than 90% of all biopsies and tumor removals conducted at Duke, and he is also known for an innovative surgical technique known as "motor mapping." Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent reports that Kennedy would be awake for his surgery due to Friedman and Duke's cutting-edge methods. Motor mapping is used by doctors in an effort to locate and pinpoint areas of the brain responsible for movement and speech so they may be avoided, because tumors, especially in the parietal area which Kennedy's is located are challenging works. One wrong move and the senator's ability to speak or understand speech could be impaired; his entire right side could go limp.

The National Cancer Institute reports malignant glioma to be the most common brain tumor, saying it weighs in at little over half of the 18,000 primary malignant brain tumors diagnosed yearly. According to Gupta, the tumors have pros and cons. They don't metastasize, or spread to other parts of the body, but unfortunately they often grow and infect healthy parts of the brain. "Almost no malignant gliomas are cured by surgery, but many of us believe that the more you get out, the next treatments, whether they be radiation or chemotherapy, have a better chance of working because there's less tumor there to fight," said Dr. Matthew Ewend, neurosurgery chief at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Dr. Lee Schwamm, Kennedy's primary care physician and vice chairman of the neurology department, reported Wednesday that "Sen. Kennedy has recovered remarkably quickly from his Monday procedure" which lasted only 3 1/2 hours and would be released ahead of schedule. He will return to his home on Cape Cod to await further test results and determine treatment plans. Schwamm said, "He's feeling well and eager to get started," but many people are still nervous because of facts left unspoken. Kennedy is one of only six senators to serve more than 40 years. He has become the backbone of societal issues such as health care, family leave, and minimum wages, giving aid to thousands and constantly fighting to make things better. Today, as he suffers America weeps.