Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, 84, who was sitting at the same table as Kennedy and Byrd, said he saw no warning signs before Kennedy's seizure. "We were chatting away, he was in a happy mood, regaling us with jokes," Inouye, a Democrat from Hawaii, said.
Medical personnel took Kennedy out in a wheelchair, into a room just off the floor of the House, where Kerry and Sens. Christopher J. Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, and Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, gathered around and then helped him into the ambulance. The senators told reporters afterward that Kennedy was conscious the entire time and spoke to them.
"He gave me that Irish smile, so I think he's going to be all right," Hatch said.
Kennedy's health has become an emotional touchstone for Democrats in recent months.
His tumor, a malignant glioma, is a common and often lethal form of brain cancer. It was discovered after a May 17 seizure at the family compound in Hyannis Port, Mass., on Cape Cod. The tumor is in his brain's left parietal lobe, which is involved in speech, sensation and motor control.
After his June 2 surgery at Duke University Medical Center, Kennedy spent the summer and fall on Cape Cod while receiving treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He briefly returned to the Senate in early July to give Democrats a much-needed vote to pass Medicare pricing legislation. He received a standing ovation upon entering the chamber and, realizing the legislation was on the verge of being approved, nine Republicans switched their votes to side with Kennedy.
Medical experts have said most patients with malignant gliomas do not survive more than a year or two after diagnosis, although the operation may have been successful enough to add several years to that prognosis.
His friends said that Kennedy remained in good spirits yesterday, even as he was in obvious pain, making jokes and telling them not to fuss about it.
"When he bellows, he's usually in pretty good shape," Dodd said.
