May 19, 2008 2:46 pm US/Eastern
Father-In-Law: Kennedy Had 2 Seizures
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy listens as U.S. Army General David Petraeus testifies on April 08, 2008 before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on the military progress in Iraq.
Paul J. Richards/Getty Images
Sen. Edward Kennedy had two seizures over the weekend, not one as originally reported, his father-in-law told WBZ Monday.
Kennedy was taken first to Cape Cod Hospital Saturday morning after having a seizure and was later transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital for further examination.
During the helicopter ride to Mass. General, Edmund Reggie said Kennedy had a second seizure. "He had a seizure in the helicopter. You think that would be bad, but it's good the doctors said... By flailing his arms and moving his arms and legs and head, it showed he was not a stroke victim."
Kennedy's spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Monday it is unclear when doctors will release information on his condition.
The family still has not said much about the incident, but Reggie told WBZ more about what happened on Saturday. "He had walked the dogs, he had come in for breakfast and felt something just before breakfast, so he sat down. He knew there was something wrong… He didn't want to fall. They thought it was a stroke and they called EMS, which responded very quickly.
Kennedy, 76, had more tests Monday and is undergoing further evaluation at Mass General.
Cutter said the senator had a good night of sleep and is resting comfortably. He spent the morning with his wife, Vicki, and sister, Jean. His son Ted Jr. arrived at 11:30 a.m.
President Bush called Kennedy's wife Monday to check on the senator's progress and asked her to "take care of his friend."
"The senator and Mrs. Kennedy were very appreciative of the call," Cutter said. Over the weekend, Kennedy fielded similar calls from Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, while receiving visits from Sen. John Kerry, other dignitaries and a stream of family members.
Doctors originally suspected he had suffered a stroke, but his physician later said it had been a seizure and that Kennedy was "not in any immediate danger."
Dr. Larry Ronan and other physicians were conducting a battery of tests, the results of which may not be available until late Monday or Tuesday.
"He was sitting up and ordering food out from Legal Seafood," Kennedy friend Bob Shrum told the Early Show Monday about the senator's activity over the weekend.
"This is someone who literally has touched almost everybody's life in America," Shrum said.
"There isn't a bill for economic or social justice that doesn't bear his imprint."
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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