By GLEN JOHNSON, AP
June 10, 2008
Sen. Ted Kennedy said it was "good to be home" after flying back to Massachusetts yesterday, one week after undergoing an aggressive and delicate surgery to treat a cancerous brain tumor.
Kennedy left the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, yesterday morning and arrived at his family's compound in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod just before noon.
Kennedy, his white hair visible under a beige, wide-brimmed hat, told reporters waiting outside his home it was "good to be home, good to be here."
When asked how he was feeling, he said, "Glad to be home, I'll tell ya."
The Massachusetts Democrat was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, a lethal type of brain tumor, after having a seizure. A malignant glioma is one of the worst kinds of brain cancer, and malignant gliomas are diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year.
"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's office said in a statement.
"He is thankful for the extraordinary care of the doctors and nurses at Duke, and also for the continued prayers and well wishes from the people of Massachusetts and all over the country."
Kennedy, 76, underwent the risky, 31/2-hour surgery June 2 to remove as much of the tumor as possible.
