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Judge it!I cannot belive how flip all of the media has been about this diagnosis. They make it sound like his treatment will be a walk in the park and not the nightmare it really will be. My father died from the same brain tumor 2 years ago, and lived only 18 months after his diagnosis, five of which were truly hell on earth.
The chemotherapy he will be put on is called Temador, taken orally. It makes most brain tumor patients so sick they have to be placed on anti-nausea medication. The chemotherapy will also make Kennedy susceptible to other disease, such as pneumonia and sepsis, as it will knock out his entire immune system. Additionally, the radiation will cause swelling in the brain, and Kennedy will be prescribed large amounts of the steroid Decadron, which will cause swelling in the face, an insatiable appetite, and possibly "roid rage" moments.
Every brain tumor patient is different. While only a small amount of adults are effected every year, the disease is devastating. It makes me so mad that it took a Kennedy to come down with this disease for people to really acknowledge it. What about Johnnie Oates and Tugg McGraw, George Harrison and Siskel? They all died of it too. I welcome you to research this, look at the National Brain Tumor Foundation, and their message board.
My father was diagnosed on October 2004, with a glioblastoma Multiforme Grade IV (GBM IV), the most aggressive type of cancerous tumor. He was a financial analyst and consultant for crude oil futures. After his surgery and course of treatment, he was never able to return to work. His tumor was also on the left side, but they were able to resect most of it. He underwent radiation and Temador, then Gleevec (a chemo for leukemia), then AEE788 (an experimental chemo from the Duke Brain Tumor Center) and then Tarceva (chemo for lung cancer). None of these medications could stop the tumor from growing and my father died a really awful death 18 months after his diagnosis.
Just because this is a Kennedy, the public deserves to know the facts about the disease and Kennedy's real and true prognosis.
I agree with you. My husband died an excruitating death 10 months after being diagnosed with this at 57 years old. He was a brilliant man who was respected in his professional and public life. I had to watch him go blind, have a stroke and generally see him lose his mind. Faced with the same diagnosis I would seek out a Dr. Kevorkian. Cruel comments deserve the old saying- Don't spit up in the sky because it may come right down on you.
Scorpio
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