Kennedy recovering after health scare

From: http://www.politico.com/

05/17/08

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, scion of one of America’s most enduring political dynasties, was rushed to the hospital Saturday after suffering what his staff called a "seizure."
The 76-year-old Democratic senator was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston Saturday morning after falling ill at his home on Cape Cod. By evening, his spokeswoman, Melissa Wagoner, confirmed a report that the senator was "conscious, talking, joking with family."
And in Reno, Nev., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), told reporters at the State Democratic Convention that, after talking to Kennedy's wife, Victoria, Kennedy “will be fine.”
Earlier, when he was stricken on Cape Cod and "after discussion with his doctors in Boston,” Wagoner said, “Senator Kennedy was sent to Massachusetts General Hospital for further examination."
Several hours later, his staff released a more optimistic assessment after CNN reported that the senator had telephoned family from the hospital.
"It appears that Senator Kennedy experienced a seizure this morning. He is undergoing a battery of tests at Massachusetts General Hospital to determine the cause of the seizure,’’ Wagoner said. “Senator Kennedy is resting comfortably, and it is unlikely we will know anything more for the next 48 hours."
Saturday evening, the senator’s primary care physician, Dr. Larry Ronan, said preliminary tests had determined Kennedy had not suffered a stroke, as first reports indicated may have been the case, and was “not in any immediate danger.”
The senator, the doctor said, had been watching the Red Sox game with his family in his hospital room.
“Over the next couple of days,” Ronan added, “Senator Kennedy will undergo further evaluation to determine the cause of the seizure, and a course of treatment will be determined at that time.”
Kennedy's wife was at his side in the hospital. Massachusetts’ junior senator, John F. Kerry, the unsuccessful Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, also visited briefly, but did not stop to talk to reporters. News that the Massachusetts senator had been stricken dominated the cable networks throughout the day, with commentators reviewing his enduring public career. Ted Sorenson and other former aides to Kennedy’s brother, the late President John F. Kennedy, offered overviews of Kennedy family history, and friends in the political world told stories from throughout his political career, spanning nearly five decades. In the Senate since 1962, Kennedy has become one of the leading surrogates for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. A liberal lion of the Senate, Kennedy is chairman of the Senate Education and Labor Committee and one of the most skilled legislators in the chamber. He has had health problems, and his current condition was serious enough for him to be airlifted to Boston. Senate sources, though, were being very careful about discussing the senator’s condition, given the potential seriousness of the "stroke-like symptoms" that were first reported.
Last October, at Massachusetts General, Kennedy had surgery to relieve major blockage in one of his carotid arteries – an often-used procedure to prevent a stroke. He recovered quickly and has been very active, back in the Senate and on the campaign trail for Obama in his tight race against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.)
Kennedy is America's last living link to the romanticized "Camelot" era of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy of the 1960s. The Cape Cod Times reported that local rescue crews responded to an emergency call from the Kennedy compound at 8:30 this morning. The newspaper has also posted a picture of Kennedy being carried to a helicopter on Cape Cod. The Kennedys were in Hyannisport, Mass., this weekend to host the annual “Best Buddies Challenge” event, a charity for people with disabilities. “We are putting in a call to Vicki Kennedy,” Obama told reporters. “And we are going to try to find out as quickly as possible what is going on. Obviously my thoughts and prayers are with Teddy. He is one of my favorite people. Hopefully he is going to be OK.” Carrie Budoff Brown and Mike Allen contributed to this story.

Blogger Comment:

Our prayers to Senator Ted Kennedy, a very fine man and a great politician. You got to love the Kennedys. They love public work and they love to do the best to their country. He is a champ in health care and in taking care of the poor and the underprivileged. He is for change, which does not mean those great first class politicians did not do enough but we have now a lot of unpresented challenges. We need to work it more collectively now so we can change our world and the world around us. After world war II America had the vision and execution of new world at that time that worked reasonably well for many decades. I am looking to see him again in best health and continue to contribute as one of the leaders of this new era.