A lion: The last of a legendary American dynasty is diagnosed with a deadly brain tumor
Despite the tremendous advancement in science and medicine, cancer is still the number one killer in the United States and many other parts of the world. Cancer is the uncontrollable multiplication of cells.The lobes of the brain are divided into four:They are the frontal, temporal, occipital and parietal lobes. Senator Kennedy’s glioma is found in the parietal lobe.
This is an area which is close to centers that control speech and walking. Any surgery done on this kind of tumor will jeopardize the areas that control speech and walking.
Like his brothers Bobby and John F. Kennedy who were prematurely taken away from the American people and the world, Senator teddy Kennedy was a giant who was fighting for the voiceless for the last 40 years. Senator Edward Kennedy was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962. Over the years he became the champion of the powerless and the down trodden. In 1980 he challenged Jimmy Carter for the presidency of the United States, Senator Kennedy lost that contest. He never shrinked from fighting hard for his beliefs.Tuesday, 20th of May, 2008, Senator Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant glioma.Tuesday was a sad day for Americans and many other people are the world.There are five different kinds of gliomas, and they are as follows:
1. Astrocytoma
2 Glioblastoma
3. Ependymonas
4. Astrocytomas
5. Oligodendrogliomas
Among the five, number two in the list the-Glioblastoma is the most malignant, aggressive, and deadly. Doctors of Massachusett’s hospital said Senator Kennedy has a malignant glioma. The news of the diagnoses hit America like a hurricane. Choruses of leaders and ordinary Americans started praying for Senator Edward Kennedy and his family. Among the great leaders who came out today was Senators Obama, the democratic presidential candidate, it was worth remembering the huge support Senator Kennedy was given to Obama early on. Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia openly wept in the floor of the Senate,
“Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe,” According to Massachusetts General Hospital.
May 21, 2008 – 5:46AM. Americans were shocked to learn that a malignant brain tumor was the cause of Senator Ted Kennedy’s collapse at the weekend. He was diagnosed with glioma, an aggressive form of cancer. This is a form of cancer that spreads very fast. His doctors are figuring out what the course of his treatment will look like. Chemotherapy and radiation are one of the options on the table. More than 50% of glioma patients patients die within two years.The shocking diagnosis dominated American media through out Tuesday, May 20th, 08. The news rapidly triggered a long chorus of tributes to the champion of the dispossessed, poor and voiceless.
President George Bush, the lame duck president sent his prayers to Senator Kennedy. The democratic presidential front runner Senator Barack Obama, said he was shattered by the news.
Senator Obama said that Senator Kennedy was a fighter and a great senator. “I would not be sitting here as a presidential candidate had it not been for some of the battles that Ted Kennedy has fought,” Senator Obama said.”
“Not only is he a personal friend, but he is somebody who battled for voting rights and civil rights when I was a child. I stand on his shoulders.”
He was the brother of two icons president John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy were cut short by assassins bullets.The mysteries surrounding those assassinations have not been completely resolved till today. J.F. K was assassinated in Dallas Texas, on November, 22, 1963. R.F.K was assassinated in Los Angels in 1968, soon after he won a democratic presidential primary.Senator Kennedy took over the mantle of the Kennedy clan and their philosophy of fighting for the poor.
Senator Kennedy, 76, has been a dominating figure in the US Senate over seven full terms. His endorsement of Senator Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination this year was a key moment in Senator Obama’s contest in the presidency of the United States.
Senator Ted Kennedy is a forward-looking Senator who endorsed Senator Obama. He said he has seen some of the traits of his brother JFK in Baraka in Obama. Senator’s Obama’s trust into the center of the American politics, his tremendous success on the verge of defeating the Clinton dynasty and the Republic Juggernaut led by the Bush and Chaney has already marked a historical epoch.
A glimpse of Mayo Clinic’s diagnosis and treatment options for gliomas. The Mayo Clinic is located in Rochester Minnesota. It is a preeminent cancer research, diagnosis and treatment center. Every year cancer patients from all over the United States, and around the world come to the Mayor Clinic for cancer treatment. This is the same clinic where the late king Hussein of Jordan was before his death of non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Treatment Options. Treatment for a glioma — and survival odds — depends on the tumor type, size and location, and the patent’s age and overall health.
About Gliomas (Primary Brain Tumors)
Astrocytoma is the most common type of primary brain tumor.
A tumor is a mass or growth of abnormal cells. Tumors found in the brain typically are categorized as primary or secondary. Gliomas (primary brain tumors) start in the brain or spinal cord tissue. They can spread within the nervous system but do not spread outside the nervous system. Gliomas can be either benign (slow growing) or malignant (fast growing). Annually, about 17,000 Americans are diagnosed with a primary brain tumor.
Brain tumors can be challenging to treat, but many are treated successfully. Also, new technology helps physicians target tumors more precisely. Innovative treatments under investigation offer hope for the future.
Diagnosis
If brain tumor symptoms are present, doctors perform a thorough neurological exam to check vision, hearing, balance, coordination and reflexes. The physician then orders imaging tests to locate the problem.Test results are generally available to the neurologist within a day. Skilled neuro-pathologists examine tumor tissue to definitely diagnose the kind of tumor present.
Suleiman Egeh
MS: Molecular Biology
MA: Science Education
Email: soleimoneg@yahoo.com
Suleiman Egeh is a freelance writer based in Minnesota (USA).