Diagnosed with the disease last summer, John McCain has been battling the condition in Arizona this year. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images McCain to discontinue medical treatment Well-wishes poured in Friday as lawmakers and others realized the war hero is in his final days.

Sen. John McCain will discontinue medical treatment for his brain cancer, signaling his battle with the disease has moved into its final stages, according to a statement released by his family.

"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 McCains announced.


Diagnosed last summer with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, the Arizona Republican has been absent from the Senate since December as he remained home to receive medical treatment. McCain is not expected to return to Washington. A number of senators in both parties have visited him in Arizona, and well-wishes quickly poured in as the Senate began to digest that the war hero, six-term senator and 2008 GOP presidential nominee is in his final days.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who journeyed to Arizona to be with McCain earlier this year, said senators have been "fortunate to call him our friend and colleague." McCain's wife, Cindy, said: "God bless everyone who has cared for my husband along this journey."

"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," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), one of the Democrats who formed a close bond with McCain.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of McCain’s closest allies in the Senate, offered praise and support to the McCain family.

“Cindy remains steadfast and is traveling every step of the way on this difficult journey with John. The love provided by Meghan and the McCain children to their father has been comforting to witness.,” Graham said in a statement. “The entire McCain clan is doing exactly what the McCains have done through generations — rise to the meet the challenge.”

"From Vietnam to the halls of the U.S. Senate, the spirit of service and civility that has guided Senator McCain's life stands as a model for all Americans, regardless of political affiliation," added Arizona's Gov. Doug Ducey (R).

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McCain has not voted in the Senate since Dec. 2017, and Senate Republicans have accordingly been hobbled by his absence, with just a 50-seat majority in in the chamber. If he were to resign or die, Ducey would appoint his replacement. McCain won reelection to a six-year term in 2016.

McCain's absence leaves only one senator who served in the Vietnam War - Democrat Tom Carper of Delaware - in the Senate.

The Arizona Republican has left a major mark on the Senate during his 32 years in the body, but his impact may have been greatest during the last 18 months. McCain banded with two moderate GOP colleagues to stop repeal of Obamacare and has continued putting out statements criticizing President Donald Trump for his closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump's relationship with McCain has been a particularly fraught one. Ever since Trump attacked McCain for being captured in Vietnam, the two have regarded each other icily and a number of Republicans have come to McCain's defense. But Trump has continued to criticize McCain even as he fights a debilitating condition, singling him out repeatedly this summer for opposing repeal of the health care law.

McCain's Arizona colleague, Jeff Flake, has taken up McCain's straight-talking mantle in the veteran senator's absence. But Flake is retiring and the primary to replace him is on Tuesday.

"God bless and keep this wonderful man and his family," Flake said on Friday following McCain's announcement.

