Kennedy returns to Hyannis Port after brain surgery

(Vincent DeWitt for The Boston Globe)

By Vincent DeWitt, Globe Correspondent, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

HYANNIS -- Senator Edward M. Kennedy flew back home to Hyannis Port this morning after spending a week at Duke University Medical Center, where he underwent what was described by doctors as a successful surgery for a malignant brain tumor.

Kennedy landed at about 11:30 a.m. at Barnstable Municipal Airport after a 90-minute flight from North Carolina in a private twin-jet Cessna. Kennedy climbed into a waiting Chevy Yukon, which drove him to Hyannis Port. The senator wore a wide-brim green canvas hat as he sat in the front passenger seat and told photographers that he was glad to be home.

Kennedy's office released a statement this morning that said, "His doctors are pleased with his progress since surgery a week ago, and he will continue to recuperate at home before starting the next phase of his treatment."

Kennedy moved quickly to pursue the most aggressive form of treatment for his tumor and he flew to North Carolina last Monday to undergo surgery by a hand-picked neurosurgeon. The three-hour operation was performed by Dr. Allan H. Friedman, Duke's chief of neurosurgery, who is known for tackling surgeries that his colleagues consider risky because of a tumor's proximity to critical areas of the nervous system.

"Senator Edward Kennedy is making an excellent recovery from his brain surgery," Friedman said today in a statement. "He will continue his recuperation at home in Massachusetts under the supervision of the very capable doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital."

Friedman continued: "The Senator and his wife Vicki are wonderful people, and I hope you will join me in wishing them the best as they continue their difficult journey to fight this disease. Their courageous and positive attitude is a lesson for us all."

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