Sen. John McCain, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017, said he is discontinuing medical treatment, his family said in a statement on Aug. 24.
“Last summer, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: he had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma, and the prognosis was serious. In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment,” the family of the Arizona Republican wrote in a statement.
The statement from McCain’s family added: “Our family is immensely grateful for the support and kindness of all his caregivers over the last year, and for the continuing outpouring of concern and affection from John’s many friends and associates, and the many thousands of people who are keeping him in their prayers. God bless and thank you all.”
Reports said that the decision and accompanying statement suggests that he is near death.
In July 2017, McCain said that he’d been diagnosed with the glioblastoma and started an aggressive treatment regimen. “I don’t know how much longer I'll be here,” he said at the time, according to NBC News.
“Maybe I‘ll have another five years. Maybe, with the advances in oncology, they’ll find new treatments for my cancer that will extend my life. Maybe I'll be gone before you read this. My predicament is, well, rather unpredictable,” he wrote in a memoir “The Restless Wave” earlier this year, Fox News reported. “But I’m prepared for either contingency, or at least I’m getting prepared. I have some things I'd like to take care of first, some work that needs finishing, and some people I need to see. And I want to talk to my fellow Americans a little more if I may.”
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) speaks to reporters at the Capitol on July 13, 2017. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Condolences Pour In
Cindy McCain, the longtime Arizona senator’s wife, said in a tweet, “I love my husband with all of my heart. God bless everyone who has cared for my husband along this journey.”The senator’s daughter, Meghan McCain, also wrote in a tweet: “My family is deeply appreciative of all the love and generosity you have shown us during this past year. Thank you for all your continued support and prayers. We could not have made it this far without you - you’ve given us strength to carry on.”
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“Very sad to hear this morning’s update from the family of our dear friend @SenJohnMcCain,” Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote. “We are so fortunate to call him our friend and colleague. John, Cindy, and the entire McCain family are in our prayers at this incredibly difficult hour.”
“The whole House is keeping John and his family in our prayers during this time,” House Speaker Paul Ryan wrote on Twitter
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse wrote: “May the prayers and affection of his country, and of friends around the world, surround John and his beloved family in these peaceful final hours.”
