Kennedy - brain tumor

[Inuca]

a gazillion threads all over the place. :cry::cry::cry: AP says malignant

[YvonneCa]

1. Oh no...

...is it operable?

[Inuca]

2. I don't know

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KENNEDY?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

I am stunned, don't even want to go turn on the TV....

[YvonneCa]

4. Me either...

...this is awful news... I read about the malignancy. I feel horrible for the senator...but it's almost as bad that the Kennedy family will have to endure this at a time when they should be enjoying watching the Democratic party 'renaissance' that Ted Kennedy pretty much founded. Damn.

[sandnsea]

3. Oh no

:cry: :cry: :cry:
:cry: :cry: :cry:
:cry: :cry: :cry:

[BlueIris]

5. No words.

Life is not fair.

[YvonneCa]

6. No...

...it sure isn't. :hug: I'm worried about TayTay.

[BlueIris]

7. Oh, God. Poor Tay.

My sympathies go out to all who have had the opportunity to know and love Senator Kennedy much better than I ever did.

[TayTay]

11. You good folks are so caring...

Thanks for your concern. Today is not as much of a shock as Saturday was. This is bad news, but it was something that was being discussed over the weekend. I am a bit more prepared.

I am so sorry for the Senator and his wife Vicki, the Kennedy family and all the friends and supporters of the good Senator. This is awful news. Massachusetts is sad today, as am I. I will be adding my prayers to those of millions of others that Sen. Kennedy has the best possible outcome from this diagnosis.

[YvonneCa]

14. ...

...:grouphug:

[politicasista]

15. Here you go

:grouphug:

[BlueIris]

20. I am thinking lots of positive thoughts for you and all Mass Dems today, hon.

Also hoping for the best possible outcome.

[wisteria]

28. Bad news, but I think Kennedy will overcome this and come out stronger. n/t

[beachmom]

8. Oh, this just made my heart sink. No, no, no.

I am very sad. By any chance is this like for Arlen Spector or Elizabeth Edwards? It seems bad, but they live for years?

[politicasista]

9. Just heard

No words. :( :grouphug:

[ProSense]

10. Extremely sad.

I'm praying for the best.

[beachmom]

12. Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Here is some info that may offer a glimmer of hope:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/20/131623/857/693/518996

Malignant gliomas are a type of brain cancer diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year — and the most common type among adults. It's a starting diagnosis: How well patients fare depends on what specific tumor type is determined by further testing.

Average survival can range from less than a year for very advanced and aggressive types — such as glioblastomas — or to about five years for different types that are slower growing.

Teddy is one tough cookie and a fighter. Five years is a long time, and maybe new treatments will give him even more longevity. I want to stay positive here, instead of only fearing the worst. It may not be the worst; we just don't know yet.

[MonteLukast]

13. It's a glioma... my scientific take

Kennedy's tumor is a malignant glioma.

Gliomas are tumors of the glial cells, which are the non-neurological cells of the central nervous system... basically, the "tissue" of the brain, the structural and nutritional support.

The "grade" of a glioma is VERY important. A "high-grade" glioma has a dire prognosis: prone to metastasize (spread), prone to recurrence after surgery, and highly aggressive. On the other hand, a "low-grade" glioma grows very slowly, often over a period of many years, so much that in many cases, many doctors opt to watch and wait till symptoms occur.

The fact that Sen. Kennedy has been showing very few, and mild, symptoms; and the fact he's retained his mental functions and has lived a normal life, makes me optimistic that his tumor is relatively low-grade. But it has to come out NOW before it "upgrades" any further.

[babylonsister]

16. From what I've read, chemo/radiation might be what Kennedy gets,

not surgery. I've heard no mention of that anyway, but it is early.

[MonteLukast]

17. He would be a high risk...

... for surgery if they did go that route. Anesthesia is the most hazardous part of any surgical procedure, and the older you get the more dangerous it is. Probably why they're considering radiation and chemo instead. I just don't like the idea of leaving any suspect tissue behind. Anything could happen soon to "switch" it to a higher grade.

Cells actually follow specific biological, genetic and biochemical pathways toward becoming cancerous. But so far, only the colon cancer pathway has been spelled out in full.

[babylonsister]

18. I can only take comfort in the fact that he's getting the very best of

care, and know that the docs will leave no stone unturned in treating him. :(

[Luftmensch067]

19. That's my feeling, too, babylonsister

Praying and hoping for the very best for Teddy and his family and friends.

[beachmom]

21. To add to your excellent analysis, a doctor who specializes in cancer has put up a diary:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/20/144058/741/628/519061

[Inuca]

22. I can't get this out of my head

so sad and unfair (as if I did not already learn this about life...). I had a very close friend die of brain cancer more than 15 years ago, I think it was a glioblastoma, in any case inoperable. He lasted roughly 2 years, but the last few months only because his wife refused the OK to take him off the respirator. He was 45 when he died, last when I saw him on his feet and talking he looked 70, and there was little left of his old self. GOD... sorry to burden everybody with these bad memories and not very positive thoughts, I'll shut up now. :grouphug:

[YvonneCa]

23. ...

:hug:

[Island Blue]

24. Oh no.

My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Kennedy and his family.

Tay (or anyone else who might know), do you know if there is an address where members of this group (and the greater DU family) could send cards and well wishes? This may have already been posted somewhere, but I'm just getting in from work and haven't had time to search the many posts related to the senator.

:cry:

[fedupinBushcountry]

25. I am so saddened

by this news. To many of us who grew up with the Kennedy family they became a part of our family. This news is like receiving news of one of my own family members. I'm hoping and praying that knowing Ted Kennedy he will fight his hardest and that he will decide on the right treatment and be with us for many more years to come.

:cry: :grouphug:

[MH1]

26. I am so sorry to hear this.

:cry:

:grouphug:

[Democrafty]

27. What an awful, upsetting day.

Senator Kennedy has served with distinction for so long, the thought of anything happening to him is just shattering.

[JI7]

29. i feel sick

i remember feeling this way when i heard Wellstone was in a plane crash.

[ABripple]

30. Why don't we send him something?

Remember how we sent all those flowers to Barbara Boxer when she had the courage to contest the results of the 04 election? And we're always sending Kerry birthday cards to show him how much we support and admire him. Why dont we all (with other people as well) send something to Teddy to let him know we love/support him? I know it would at least make me feel a little bit better to know I had done something to be there for Teddy even though of corse I'm not close to him like JK, Sen. Dodd, Sen. Byrd, etc...

Cards? Flowers? Both? Something else? What do you think? I would really, really like to do this.

:cry: :hug:

[JI7]

31. i brought it up in a thread in GD but nobody has replied or seen it yet

but yes, i want to send him something.

i will contribute to whatever anyone sets up.

the message should be just about how much we love him and appreciate everything he does for us. not just for Massachusettes but the country.

[JI7]

32. here is a link to a thread on DU about it

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3314868

[ABripple]

33. great!

thanks so much. I think we should all do this. I'm sure it would make him feel great to get love and support not just from his family and friends but from so many people who he does not even know but who he has touched.

[TayTay]

35. Welcome to DU and to the DU JK group ABripple

There are ironies abounding in the idea of Teddy Kennedy. This is a man who invokes memories of the past. Yet there are few people in America who are more forward-looking, hopeful and positive than Sen. Kennedy.

Make a donation today in his honor, be it to cancer research or aid for Katrina victims or to the Innocence Project which helps those unjustly imprisoned. Honor this great man by honoring what he has spent his life doing, helping and thinking about others, particularly the down-trodden, poor and forgotten of our society.

And find a way to laugh today. As we say in Massachusetts, "Life is hopeless, but it is not serious." Uncle Teddy was about taking time to sing once in a while, about sharing stories and good times and being there for those who needed comforting. Think of the unbelievable legacy of this big-hearted man and smile, even if for a few seconds. Teddy Kennedy confronts life today as it is with a full heart, drive, commitment and an amazing sense of humor. I honor that in the man most of all. It's both why this is hard to confront and why it isn't.


Irish Blessing for Teddy:

Grant me a sense of humor, Lord,
the saving grace to see a joke,
To win some happiness from life,
And pass it on to other folks.

Boy is that ever Uncle Ted.

[Inuca]

36. Great post Tay

and the irish blessing brought a smile.

[WildEyedLiberal]

34. Prayers from across the pond

He absolutely has GOT to see the rebirth of the country he's worked so damn hard for.

[Inuca]

37. That's EXACTLY what I keep thinking

He just MUST be able to see and enjoy the Obama inauguration... Hi WEL!

[YvonneCa]

38. I agree. From yesterday...

...

"This is awful news... I read about the malignancy. I feel horrible for the senator...but it's almost as bad that the Kennedy family will have to endure this at a time when they should be enjoying watching the Democratic party 'renaissance' that Ted Kennedy pretty much founded. Damn."


Call me an optimist, but somehow, I think he will see it.
:hi: