Brain cancer is more common than you might think. The National Cancer Institute estimates 21,810 new cases will be diagnosed this year and 13,070 people will die from brain cancer.
The Senator has a malignant glioma,
about which the National Cancer Institute says:
Malignant gliomas are the most common primary brain tumor, accounting for more than half of the more than 18,000 primary malignant brain tumors diagnosed each year in the United States. These tumors are the second-most common cause of cancer death in the 15 to 44 age group.
The outlook for patients with malignant gliomas is poor. Median survival for patients with moderately severe (grade III) malignant gliomas is three to five years. For patients with the most severe, aggressive form of malignant glioma (grade IV glioma or glioblastoma multiforme), median survival is less than a year.
The National Cancer Institute defines a brain tumor as "The growth of abnormal cells in the tissues of the brain. Brain tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous)."
These are some resources the National Cancer Institute provides on brain tumors and other
nervous system tumors in the U.S. this year:
From supporting the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 to working for programs like Meals on Wheels and Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC), Senator Ted Kennedy's name has become closely associated with social causes. He has chaired some of the most powerful committees in American government, including the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Here's a
timeline of Senator Kennedy's career in office from his official Web site.
In addition to the many achievements for which he is credited, Ted Kennedy has been a lightning rod.
A timeline of the Kennedy family from "The American Experience" (PBS) covers some of the controversies, including Kennedy being expelled from Harvard and driving his car off a bridge at Chappaquiddick, Mass. Here are the highlights from their timeline:
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1969 |
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July 18: Following an appreciation party for volunteers on Robert Kennedy's campaign, Senator Ted Kennedy drives his car off a bridge at Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts. Kennedy manages to escape; his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, does not. Kennedy will not report the accident for hours.
July 25: Ted Kennedy delivers a national television address to explain his actions at Chappaquiddick.
November 18: Joe Sr. dies. He is survived by five of his nine children and by his wife Rose. |
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1970 |
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November 3: Ted Kennedy is reelected to the Senate, but loses his post as Majority Whip. He chairs the Senate Health Committee. |
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1979 |
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November: Ted Kennedy announces his candidacy for the 1980 presidential election. |
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1980 |
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January-August: Ted Kennedy wins Democratic primaries in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, California, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and New Jersey. The rest go to the incumbent, President Jimmy Carter.
August: In an emotional speech to the Democratic national convention, Kennedy withdraws his bid for the presidency. |
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1982 |
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December: Ted Kennedy announces he will not run for president in 1984. After 24 years of marriage, he divorces his wife Joan. |
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1985 |
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December: Ted Kennedy announces he will not be a candidate for President in 1988. |
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1992 |
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Ted Kennedy marries Victoria Reggie. |
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1994 |
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Ted Kennedy's son, Patrick Joseph Kennedy, is elected to Congress from Rhode Island's First District.
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Kennedy's speech memorializing his brother Robert F. Kennedy is considered by many to be among the great speeches in American history.
Listen to it and read it. 
