Kennedy's office denies health report

Source: Cape Cod Times

By CYNTHIA McCORMICK
cmccormick@capecodonline.com
May 19, 2009

BOSTON – U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy’s office says a report that the Massachusetts Democrat’s brain tumor has gone into remission and he is returning to the Senate full time next month is unfounded.

A staffer who did not wish to be named for this story said the senator continues to balance a treatment regimen with work, adding his schedule is determined on a day-to-day basis.

A Washington, D.C., publication, The Hill, reported Tuesday that Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Kennedy’s brain cancer is in remission and he would return to the Senate full time in early June.

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Read more: http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090519/NEWS11/90519026

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CCT posted this as Breaking News at 7:52 pm tonight (May 19).

Also, I saw this was posted this evening, titled "Reid's Office Clarifies Senator's Comments on Ted Kennedy"

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/05/19/reids-office-clarifies-ted-kennedys-condition/

and a similar article here:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/2009_05_19_Reid:_Ted_Kennedy_s_cancer_is_in_remission/srvc=home&position=recent

(Anyone who gives me hell for linking a BH article is going on my ignore list. :evilgrin: )

I do not know enough to assess the credibility of this account of Kennedy's office refuting Reid's statement (which in turn was based on an article in The Hill earlier today). Regardless of whether the remission story turns out to be true or not, Reid looks to have been talking off his cuff. It's astonishing he didn't have a staffer check with the Kennedy office before he spoke about it.

It could well be that Kennedy's cancer has responded well enough to treatment that he may attempt to undertake semi-regular Senate duties this summer, but is not in remission. (Most oncologists say that glioblastoma does not go into remission, anyway.) I note that Kennedy is continuing to receive chemotherapy.

Stay tuned...

Stories - yeah, Patrick Swayze is probably going to die soon, but he did not die today - come out so fast, one on top of the other, that I've learned to shrug it all off until something authoritative comes out.

Some of this crap just goes too fast.................

there was a big twitter thing going on today, this morning, I think, and the publicist finally had to issue a denial. . . . ...

having to undergo chemo. I really miss his booming voice in the Senate, and I can't help but cry every time I see him appear at an event of any kind. He's trying so hard.

This is not really bad news just clarified news. I'll trust the Boston Herald's source any day over The Hill's. Especially if their source is Harry Reid.

Perhaps the tumor has stopped growing. It could start again at any point. These things are tricky like that, unlike many other forms of cancer. So, to say remission is unlikely, because there's a good chance at some point it could start growing again. Remission isn't true, it's more of a "partial remission", in which most of the tumor is removed or destroyed and the rest isn't currently growing. I don't know if this is what is happening, but it would be easily the best case scenario now.

:thumbsdown:

The frigging Globe has fired half of theirs.

Kennedy's been doing a lot of sailing. He's looking better. Who knows?

I have a friend with the same problem--he's not doing so well.

even the way he said it made it look like he wasn't sure what he was talking about. they should have contacted Kennedy's people to confirm before running a story like that.

but i guess they care more about being first to report than being right.

If their mouths are moving, they must be lying.

everyone knows that Kennedy is not working full time now? To start a movement to require him to step down so that Massachusetts has to hold a special election for his seat, opening it up to a Republican? What?

Word to the Massachusetts Legislature--change that law now!! Then again, Governor Patrick is polling under former Governor Romney in approval ratings, and Romney did nothing for four years in office but try to get himself known nationally so he could run for President, dissing the state in the process. So, we might get a Republican Governor in Massachusetts in 2010.

Damn!

Still wishing the beloved and courageous Lion of the Senate all the best. What a lifetime of service!

He does that a lot. All the more reason to get this Bozo off the bus.