Solidarity with Ted Kennedy

Diagnosis for Ted Kennedy? A malignant glioma.

Sure, Ted Kennedy may be several notches more liberal than I am. Sure, there's the Chappaquiddick incident. I frankly don't care if it happened to be Bill O'Reilly or Dick Cheney receiving the diagnosis. Brain tumors are brain tumors, and as a survivor of one, I have a natural empathy toward those afflicted with one -- politics be damned.

Given that the doctors aren't recommending surgery and chemo *and* radiation look to be in the treatment package, I don't think he will be diagnosed with the type of glioma I had (Ependymoma). If I recall correctly, ependymomas are highly resistant to chemo. If it's the type of glioma doctors are thinking it is, it's going to try to hang around for quite a while. Both Astrocytomas and Glioblastoma Multiformes have lots of tentacle-like appendages, so cancer cells will not be just in one spot. Doctors aren't recommending surgery for the tumor, which seems to indicate it's inoperable. That will likely work against Senator Kennedy; those who survive such gliomas for long periods of time will have most if not all of the glioma taken out during surgery.

I know several who have survived GBM's and Astroctyomas, but I also know many who have lost their battle with those particular gliomas.

Even though he's an older man at 76, he is a fairly active and strong-willed gentleman, and that is a point in his favor. I don't doubt that wherever he chooses to seek treatment (if not Mass. General), he'll be in very good hands.

I wonder in the back of my mind if the senator's struggle with this will provide more visibility and awareness for our type of cancer, but that's of secondary concern to me right now. Right now, I'm just holding on to hope that he'll beat this thing, and be a survivor as well.

(Jokingly: I think he'll rock the bald head a lot better than I did. That's a fashion statement I don't want to make again -- and in 2004 it wasn't by choice! :-p . Especially since I love my long hair ;))