DURHAM, North Carolina (CNN) -- Sen. Edward Kennedy was released Monday from Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina after recovering from brain surgery, CNN has learned.
Kennedy, 76, will return to his home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts, after undergoing a 3½-hour operation on June 2 to remove the majority of a malignant glioma from his left parietal lobe.
In a statement from the Massachusetts Democrat's office, Kennedy was said to be "thankful for the care of the doctors and nurses at Duke, and also for the continued prayers and well wishes from the people of Massachusetts and all over the country."
Kennedy, a senator since 1962, suffered a seizure May 17 while walking his dogs at his Cape Cod home. Kennedy was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he was diagnosed. He later was scheduled for an operation to remove a malignant tumor at Duke University Medical Center in Durham. Watch Kennedy get welcomed home »
The procedure was difficult, with doctors keeping the senator awake so that he could perform tasks such as squeezing his hands or identifying pictures. Doing so enabled the surgeons to locate and protect the areas of his brain responsible for speech and movement.
In a statement afterward, Dr. Allan Friedman, chief neurosurgeon at Duke's Department of Surgery and co-director of Duke's Neuro-Oncology Program, said the procedure had been a success.
"I am pleased to report that Sen. Kennedy's surgery was successful and accomplished our goals," the statement said.
Kennedy will begin the final phases of his treatment plan, which includes radiation and chemotherapy at Massachusetts General.
All About Edward M. Kennedy • Duke University Health System