Ted Kennedy has a seizure

Shadow Dragon · Jan 20, 2009

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Edward Kennedy collapsed Tuesday afternoon during a luncheon for President Barack Obama in the Capitol's Statuary Hall.

President Obama greets Sen. Edward Kennedy at the luncheon in the Capitol.

1 of 2 Paramedics were called to the scene at 2:35 p.m. ET.

He was later alert and talking to family, Washington Hospital Center spokeswoman Paula Faria said.

"Sen. Kennedy had a seizure" which "lasted a while," a Republican House member told CNN.

The member said Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, was still experiencing seizures when he was put in a wheelchair and taken out through the Rayburn room, located to the side of Statuary Hall. The incident happened at the end of lunch.

Kennedy, 76, was first elected to the Senate in 1962.

Obama mentioned Kennedy's condition while speaking at the luncheon.

Kennedy "was there when the Voting Rights Act passed," the new president said. "Along with John Lewis, (he) was a warrior for justice. And so I would be lying to you if I did not say that right now, a part of me is with him. And I think that's true for all of us. This is a joyous time. But it's also a sobering time, and my prayers are with him and his family and (his wife) Vicki."

Former Vice President Mondale said he was sitting with Kennedy at their table, that he was doing fine when all of a sudden Kennedy started to convulse.

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, a long-time friend of Kennedy who, along with Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, walked out with Kennedy as he was taken to an ambulance. Watch senators talk about the incident. »

Dodd said that Kennedy told him, "I'll be okay. I'll see you later."

Kennedy's wife, Vicki, was with him, Dodd said. "She knows what to do. He's in good shape."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, said Secret Service officers moved in right away and that someone later asked for a moment of silence.

Hatch said he told Kennedy, " 'Teddy you're going to be all right.' I personally wish he hadn't come today," Hatch said. "This is a person who cares about history. He wouldn't have missed this for the world."

The senior Massachusetts senator, patriarch of one of American's leading political families, is a staunch supporter of Obama.

In May, Kennedy suffered a seizure while walking his dogs at his home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts.

Three days later, Kennedy's doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said the preliminary results from a brain biopsy showed a tumor in the left parietal lobe, which was responsible for the seizure. See a closer look at Kennedy. »

In June, Kennedy underwent a 3½-hour operation at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, to remove a malignant tumor from his brain. Surgeons reported that the surgery was a success and that Kennedy should suffer no permanent damage from the procedure.

Kennedy's follow-up treatment plan was to include radiation and chemotherapy.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, a neurosurgeon, said, "When [Kennedy] was first diagnosed, he had a seizure. That was the first alert there was something going on."

"When someone has a seizure that has a known brain tumor, you obviously have to think about things such as the tumor coming back," he said. The tumor could regrow and push in an area of the brain "where it wasn't pushing before."

Gupta, who is not associated with Kennedy's care, said doctors will probably check his medication levels and get a scan of his brain.

There are reasons "maybe not as serious that could cause a seizure as well," Gupta said.

"He likely is on medications to control seizures. If the medication levels dip down for one reason, maybe he forgot to take one of his pills, or for whatever reason the medication level wasn't as high as it should have been, that is also a very common cause of seizures in someone who's had this type of surgery," Gupta said.

Kennedy is the brother of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in Dallas in 1963, and New York Sen. Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated while seeking the White House in 1968.

Though his own attempt to seek the presidency failed, Kennedy has built a reputation as one of the most effective lawmakers in the Senate.

Kennedy had surgery in October 2007 to clear his carotid artery in hopes of preventing a stroke. Until the seizure last year, the powerful Democrat appeared in fine health. He suffers chronic back pain from injuries suffered in a 1964 plane crash.
Click to expand...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/20/inauguration.kennedy.collapse/index.html

Wow, I but no one saw that coming during Obama's meal with Congress.

Cogito · Jan 20, 2009

You have quoted some source - please identify it.

Shadow Dragon · Jan 20, 2009

Cogito said: ↑

You have quoted some source - please identify it.
Click to expand...

It says CNN at the beginning, but I've also added a link to the exact page that it's from.

bobvinvent · Jan 20, 2009

May he recover fully. But isn't it time to retire at 76 after over 40 years in the US Senate, triggered by being the baby brother of JFK? Enough is enough "public service". His pension pot must be considerable.

M9A8E6S4TO · Jan 21, 2009

I guess he supported McCain.

Sorry, I'm kidding. I hope he gets better soon.

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Ted Kennedy has a seizure

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Ted Kennedy has a seizure

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