Kennedy 'recuperating well' after operation

June 3, 2008 11:58 AM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Globe Staff

Senator Edward M. Kennedy had a restful sleep and is "recuperating well" today, after his brain tumor surgery Monday at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., his office said.

In a brief statement issued this morning, Kennedy's office said he had experienced no complications and was "walking the hallways, spending time with family and actively keeping up with the news of the day."

"He looks forward to returning home to Cape Cod soon, and is thankful for all the prayers and well wishes," the statement said.

Kennedy, 76, who has been diagnosed with a malignant glioma, underwent a 3-1/2-hour operation Monday at the medical center. The surgeon was Dr. Allan H. Friedman, chief of neurosurgery at the center, a doctor known for tackling surgeries that his colleagues consider too risky because of a tumor's proximity to the critical areas of the nervous system.

Friedman issued a statement after the operation, saying that it "was successful and accomplished our goals." He also said that Kennedy would suffer no permanent neurological effects from the surgery. The next step for Kennedy: chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Kennedy's doctors revealed May 20 that he had been diagnosed with the tumor, saying tests had identified a cancerous mass on the top left portion of his brain as the cause of a seizure he had suffered three days before. His prognosis was seen as uncertain at best.

But a day after his diagnosis, Kennedy walked out of the hospital, days earlier than scheduled. He greeted well-wishers outside his family compound on Cape Cod with a smile, a wave, and a thumbs-up -- and immediately went sailing on Nantucket Sound.

Kennedy, first elected to the Senate in 1962 to the seat vacated by his brother, President John F. Kennedy, has sponsored more than 2,500 bills. A liberal icon, he has made a career of advocating for the less fortunate.