Ted Kennedy Diagnosed With Malignant Brain Tumor

May 20, 2008 — -- Sen. Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and will remain hospitalized for at least several days as he and his family determine his treatment options.

The Massachusetts Democrat suffered a seizure Saturday and has since been hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He has been talking and joking with family and friends while undergoing a battery of tests that revealed the malignant tumor, a glioma in the left parietal lobe, according to the hospital.

"He has had no further seizures, remains in good overall condition and is up and walking around the hospital," Drs. Lee Schwamm and Larry Ronan said in a joint statement released by the hospital.

"The usual course of treatment includes combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy," they said. "Decisions regarding the best course of treatment for Sen. Kennedy will be determined after further testing and analysis."

Kennedy, the second-longest serving senator in U.S. history, has represented Massachusetts in the Senate since 1962.

"Tough days ahead," a Kennedy family friend told ABC News, "but [Sen. Kennedy] is in fighting mood."

Another Kennedy family member is bringing in another doctor for further evaluation, saying, "This is not a good time."

In an interview with ABC News' Jake Tapper for "World News With Charles Gibson", Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who has received Kennedy's endorsement for president, said, "It's heartbreaking. Ted Kennedy is not only a giant of the Senate, but he's a good friend. You couldn't have a better supporter than Ted Kennedy."

Obama talked with Vicki Kennedy, the senator's wife, Saturday and said he was more optimistic after that converstion.

"The news came in today and it's a lot worse, but he's a fighter. He's been fighting on behalf of working families all his life. … It's a testament to how beloved he is that you are seeing well wishes from across the aisle from everyone in political life and Massachusetts."

In a statement released to the press, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in Kentucky for an election night rally, said, "Ted Kennedy's courage and resolve are unmatched, and they have made him one of the greatest legislators in Senate history. Our thoughts are with him and Vicki and we are praying for a quick and full recovery."

Mrs. Kennedy informed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Tuesday afternoon of Kennedy's diagnosis. Reid, in turn, informed the Senate Democratic caucus at its weekly luncheon on Capitol Hill.

Fighting back tears at a press conference following the luncheon, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., described by Reid as Kennedy's closest friend in the Senate, said, "We're confident he's going to be back."

Sen. Robert C. Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat and the most senior member of the Senate, openly wept while speaking from his desk on the Senate floor.

"I want to take a moment to say how distraught and terribly shaken I am over the news of my dear friend, my dear, dear friend, dear friend, Ted Kennedy," Byrd said as he began to cry. "My thoughts and my humble prayers are with Sen. Kenney, my dear friend Ted, with his wife Vicki, and with the members of the Kennedy family. I hope and pray that in an all-caring omnipotent god will watch over Ted and keep Ted here for us and for America. Ted, Ted, my dear friend, I love you and I miss you and Erma, Erma, Erma, my darling wife Erma, I want to say, thank god for you Ted, thank god for you."

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., called his colleague from Massachusetts "one unbelievable fighter," saying when he visited Kennedy over the weekend the senator, who endorsed Kerry's bid for the White House in 2004, was in a "fighting mood."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif., whose wife is a member of the Kennedy family, issued a statement, saying, "Maria and I are thankful for everyone's thoughts and prayers today and over the past several days. While we are still learning the extent of Teddy's diagnosis and treatment options, what we do know is that Teddy is an incredibly courageous and tenacious man who will tackle this with the same determination with which he approaches everything in life. I encourage everyone to keep Teddy in their prayers, as we are continuing to do."

President Bush was informed by staff about Kennedy's brain tumor Tuesday afternoon. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the president was "deeply saddened" and would keep him in his prayers.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican nominee for president, a cancer survivor, responded to the news aboard his campaign bus in Florida.

McCain's campaign also released a statement praising Kennedy, saying, "I have described Ted Kennedy as the last lion in the Senate, and I have held that view because he remains the single most effective member of the Senate."

Kennedy, the last of three brothers who changed the American political scene in 1960s, was taken by ambulance to a Cape Cod hospital Saturday morning and later flown to Massachusetts General Hospital by helicopter.