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After Diagnosis, Kennedy Wanted a 'Good Ending'

By Jason Farago, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 27, 2009 7:03 AM CDT

(Newser) – When Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer, he insisted that he would have a "good ending for myself," and friends tell the New York Times that the late senator's last 15 months were filled with joy. He and his wife Vicki spent evenings watching 24 and James Bond films, and in July he enjoyed near-nightly dinner parties with family. He also raced to finish work and his memoirs, saying, "I've got to get this right for history."

By spring Kennedy's health was deteriorating, and he had trouble speaking in his final days. But he refused to fall into self-pity as he neared the end, and he had no time for reports from Washington about how much he would be missed—especially during debates on health reform. Chris Dodd, one of his closest friends in the Senate, said that Kennedy got out of bed every day until his last, and was fond of calling colleagues to say, "I'm still here."

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (3)]

Ted Kennedy rides in a golf cart along with his wife Victoria Reggie Kennedy, behind center, on a wharf in Hyannis Port, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

A large flag flies at half staff outside the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Mass., Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., left, and Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., arrive for a Democratic Caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Sen. Edward Kennedy, right, with his wife Victoria Kennedy and Sen Chris Dodd, left, walk the pier after competing in the second half of the "Figawi" race, Monday, May 26, 2008 in Hyannisport, Mass. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

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He was the only one of the Kennedy boys who had a semi-knowledge that his end was near. There was no gunman in the shadows, just an MRI. It allowed for some good times. - Mike Barnicle, former Boston Globe columnist and a Kennedy friend

At no point was he ever maudlin, ever ‘woe is me.’ I’m confident he had his moments—he wouldn’t be Irish if he didn’t—but in my presence, he always sounded more worried about me than he was about himself. - Sen. Chris Dodd

When he gets there, he can say ‘I did it, I carried the torch. I carried it all the way.’
- Rep. Bill Delahunt, Kennedy friend

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