McCain halts brain cancer treatment
August 24, 2018
A year after announcing that he'd been diagnosed with brain cancer, Republican Arizona Senator John McCain decided to halt medical treatments for the tumor, his family said on Friday.
"John has surpassed expectations for his survival," the McCain family said in a statement, adding that the cancer's progression and his age have led him to cease treatment for glioblastoma.
"With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment," the family said.
McCain, whose 82nd birthday is next week, has been away from Washington since last December. He underwent surgery in July 2017 to remove a blood clot in his brain following his cancer diagnosis.
Cindy McCain, his wife, tweeted: "I love my husband with all of my heart. God bless everyone who has cared for my husband along this journey."
'A man of boundless courage'
Shortly following the announcement, support for the Republican senator poured in from both sides of the political aisle.
Senate Majority Leader and leading Republican lawmaker Mitch McConnell wrote on Twitter that he was "very sad to hear this morning's update" from McCain's family, saying that they were in his thoughts and prayers.
Tom Perez, the head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), also offered support to McCain and his family via Twitter.
"Sen. McCain is and always has been a man of boundless courage and profound conviction. America is forever grateful," Perez wrote.
McCain has been representing the state of Arizona in the House of Representatives and the Senate for 35 years. Prior to politics, he served as a US Navy pilot and was held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for over five years.
McCain was the Republican's candidate for the 2008 presidential election, which he eventually lost to Barack Obama.
The Arizona senator has been in a running feud with President Donald Trump, particularly over McCain's decision to vote against a Trump-backed bill that would have repealed the health care law put in place by the Obama administration.
rs/msh (AP, Reuters)