Sen. Kennedy Makes It Through Surgery

Senator Kennedy came out of his three-and-a-half-hour surgery yesterday in high spirits and raring to get back to work. “I think I’ll do that again,” he reportedly joked with his wife.

According to his world-renowned brain surgeon, Allan Friedman, M.D. of Duke University Medical Center, the surgery was a success. The next step after his recovery will be to start radiation and chemotherapy treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Kennedy suffered a seizure in mid-May whereupon he was diagnosed with a malignant glioma, which is a deadly type of brain tumor.

For a 76-year-old, Kennedy seems to be bouncing back quickly. Articles have noted that the senator has joked a lot about his conditions and tests, much like he was laughing today. How much do you think attitude and a good sense of humor influence recovery from a serious surgery or health diagnosis? [The New York Times]