Sen. John McCain, who defied death in the skies over Vietnam, endured years of torture in enemy captivity and embarked on a storied political career that brought him to the precipice of the presidency, has ended medical treatment for the brain cancer he has fought for 13 months, his family said Friday.
“John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict,” the statement said, making clear that McCain’s life is near its end.
The news prompted an outpouring of sympathy and acclaim for McCain, 81, who has served six terms as a Republican senator from Arizona. The tributes came from Republicans and Democrats who had together held out hope that McCain might beat the grim odds posed by his aggressive form of cancer, glioblastoma, and perhaps return to Washington and retake his perch as elder statesman and embodiment of his personal motto: “Country first.”
