Former president Barack Obama and former presidential aspirant, Hilary Clinton have sent their love, thoughts and prayers to US Senator John McCain, a
Former president Barack Obama and former presidential aspirant, Hilary Clinton have sent their love, thoughts and prayers to US Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war and the maverick 2008 Republican presidential nominee, who has been diagnosed with brain cancer.
The former president tweeted: “John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I’ve ever known. Cancer doesn’t know what it’s up against. Give it hell, John.”
While former presidential aspirant, Senator Hillary Clinton, tweeted: “As tough as they come. John McCain is as tough as they come. Thinking of John, Cindy, their wonderful children, & their whole family tonight.”
John McCain had last week undergone a surgery to remove a blood clot from above his left eye and tests revealed that a primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot, the Mayo Clinic, whose doctors performed the surgery in Phoenix, said in a statement released by McCain’s office.
“The senator and his family are reviewing further treatment options,” the statement added, noting they may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. Glioblastoma is a particularly aggressive brain tumor affecting adults. It is of the same category of cancer that led to the death of another icon of the US Senate, Ted Kennedy, who died in 2009 at age 77.
This is not McCain’s first bout with cancer. Doctors removed several malignant melanomas on McCain’s skin in the 1990s and 2000s, including an invasive melanoma in 2000. Experts had said this week that McCain’s latest operation suggested the possibility of a return of cancer.
The news has triggered a flood of messages of support from across the political spectrum for 80 year old McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee and is in his sixth term in the upper chamber of Congress.
A former US Navy aviator, Senator John McCain was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 as he conducted a bombing mission during the Vietnam War. He was badly injured when he parachuted out, and was tortured during his five and a half years as a Prisoner Of War. Released in 1973, McCain won a US House seat in 1982 before winning election to the Senate four years later. His scars from the Vietnam torture are visible
He emerged as a national security hawk, traveling the world on congressional missions to the Middle East, Asia and Europe where he reassured American allies and pricked its adversaries. He also stood accused of heedlessly backing wars or military interventions, and once suggested US forces should remain in Iraq for 100 years.
Early this year, the octogenarian who has advocated for more aggressive US military involvement in Syria made a secret trip to the war-ravaged nation to meet with US forces and discuss the campaign against the Islamic State group. Despite his hawkish positions, McCain has served the peacemaker role, too.
AFP
