Ted Kennedy Remains in Hospital - Stroke Ruled Out - Video
Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy remains hospitalized after suffering a seizure at his home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts early Saturday morning. His symptoms resembled those suffered by stroke victims, however, doctors have ruled out a stroke.
Only hours after admission to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Kennedy was talking and joking with family members at his bedside. More tests are scheduled to determine the exact cause of his seizure.
The 76-year-old Massachusetts senator’s condition is listed as serious, but doctors have said he is in no imminent danger.
Kennedy’s personal physician, Dr. Larry Ronan, released a statement Saturday night that said, “preliminary tests have determined that he has not suffered a stroke and is not in any imminent danger. He’s resting comfortably and watching the Red Sox game with his family.
The statement continued, “Over the next couple of days, Senator Kennedy will undergo further evaluation to determine the cause of the seizure, and a course of treatment will be determined at that time.”
Kennedy had surgery last October on a carotid artery that was partially blocked and put him at risk for a stroke.
One government official had stated that Kennedy suffered a second seizure on the helicopter flight from Cape Cod to Boston, but that could not be confirmed.
Kennedy, who is the second most senior member of the US Senate, was first elected to the Senate in 1962 to fill the seat left vacant by his brother, John F. Kennedy, who had been elected president.
Ted Kennedy has been re-elected to eight full terms and has been a fixture in the Senate and the Democratic Party ever since.
Ted Kennedy is the only remaining brother from a family of four brothers. His oldest brother, Joseph, was killed in action in World War II.
John, the second oldest brother and president at the time, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, while riding with his wife and Texas Governor John Connelly in a presidential motorcade.
His last brother, Bobby, was assassinated on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles while he was seeking the Democratic nomination for president during the 1968 presidential campaign.
