HYANNIS PORT, Mass. (AP) — Sen. Edward Kennedy, who has been in treatment for brain cancer, was taken by ambulance to a hospital near his Cape Cod vacation home Friday after complaining of feeling ill.

A 911 call from the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port came around 5 p.m. Friday, said Barnstable police Sgt. Ben Baxter. Kennedy was taken to Cape Cod Hospital and was “alert and responsive” during the trip, Baxter said.

Representatives for Kennedy and the hospital did not immediately return calls for comment.

Kennedy had a seizure in May and underwent surgery in June for a malignant brain tumor. After undergoing six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, he has been steadily increasing his public activity.

Kennedy had received a visit Tuesday from Chilean President Michelle Bachelet at his home in his first public appearance since he gave a surprise speech in late August at the Democratic National Convention.

Bachelet presented the senator with her country’s highest civilian award — the Order to the Merit of Chile — in recognition of his opposition to the country’s 1973 government overthrow and his work to cut off military aid to dictator Augusto Pinochet.

At the meeting, the senator stumbled momentarily as he tried to walk on the thick grass, but he quickly regained his balance.

He also made a surprise return to Capitol Hill in July to vote on a Medicare bill. In early September, Kennedy announced he would not return to the Senate until January, but has since held videoconferences with his staff and members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which he leads.