Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona was diagnosed with brain cancer, his office confirmed Wednesday night. According to The New York Times, doctors diagnosed McCain when he went in for surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix this week to remove a blood clot above his left eye.
"Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot," the Mayo Clinic said in a statement. "Treatment options may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation."
The 80-year-old senator, who ran for president in 2008, was reelected in November. The senator's absence from Washington this week resulted in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delaying the floor's vote on the GOP health care reform bill. McConnell wanted to wait for McCain to return from Phoenix before voting, as he feared the bill didn't have enough support to pass without McCain's vote.
"He has never shied from a fight, and I know that he will face this challenge with the same extraordinary courage that has characterized his life," McConnell said about McCain, following the news of the Arizona senator's illness. "We all look forward to seeing this American hero again soon."
Despite his sharp critiques of the Democratic party, particularly regarding the Obama administration, McCain is a popular senator on both sides of the aisle. Having fought in the Vietnam war as a Navy pilot, during which he was captured and held as a prisoner of war, McCain is revered by Democrats and Republicans alike as an American hero.
Concerns over the senator's health and the effects of his age on his ability to serve first started bubbling during the Comey testimony. During the hearing, McCain asked a series of convoluted questions that led some to believe he wasn't fully lucid. Although the condition of the senator is more severe than initially thought, his friends, family, coworkers and doctors are all holding out faith.
"[McCain] is in good spirits as he continues to recover at home with his family in Arizona," his office said in its statement. "He is grateful to the doctors and staff at Mayo Clinic for their outstanding care, and is confident that any future treatment will be effective. Further consultations with Senator McCain's Mayo Clinic care team will indicate when he will return to the United States Senate."