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---
title: John McCain Thanks Supporters After Brain Cancer Diagnosis
description: John McCain thanked well-wishers after it was announced that the longtime Arizona Senator has brain cancer.
canonical: https://time.com/4866570/john-mccain-brain-cancer-2/
author: Alana Abramson
article:opinion: false
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2017-07-20T16:05:39.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T16:38:59.170Z
article:section: Politics
og:title: &#x27;I&#x27;ll Be Back Soon.&#x27; John McCain Thanks Well-Wishers
og:description: The longtime Arizona Senator is battling brain cancer
og:url: https://time.com/4866570/john-mccain-brain-cancer-2/
og:site_name: TIME
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og:image:width: 1200
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og:image:alt: Le senateur John McCain recu a l&#x27;Elysee
og:type: article
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twitter:title: &#x27;I&#x27;ll Be Back Soon.&#x27; John McCain Thanks Well-Wishers
twitter:description: The longtime Arizona Senator is battling brain cancer
twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt423667c92fa0f778/6988d671ab6d774b916af0ad/john-mccain-h_6-01810055.jpeg?branch=production&amp;width=3840&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt423667c92fa0f778/6988d671ab6d774b916af0ad/john-mccain-h_6-01810055.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# 'I'll Be Back Soon.' John McCain Thanks Well-Wishers After Cancer Diagnosis


![Alana Abramson](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt841db4fb6fb33ac8/698a1380656a3f7bb2bda9e7/alana-abramson-2020-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)


![Alana Abramson](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt841db4fb6fb33ac8/698a1380656a3f7bb2bda9e7/alana-abramson-2020-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Alana Abramson


Jul 20, 2017 4:05 PM UTC

![John McCain, American senator, candidate of the Republican party in the American presidential election withNicolas Sarkozy, president of the republic during their meeting at the palace of the Elysee March, 21, 2008.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt423667c92fa0f778/6988d671ab6d774b916af0ad/john-mccain-h_6-01810055.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

John McCain, American senator, candidate of the Republican party in the American presidential election with Nicolas Sarkozy, president of the republic during their meeting at the Élysée Palace, March, 21, 2008.

John McCain, American senator, candidate of the Republican party in the American presidential election with Nicolas Sarkozy, president of the republic during their meeting at the Élysée Palace, March, 21, 2008.Ludovic—REA/Redux

![Alana Abramson](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt841db4fb6fb33ac8/698a1380656a3f7bb2bda9e7/alana-abramson-2020-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)


![Alana Abramson](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt841db4fb6fb33ac8/698a1380656a3f7bb2bda9e7/alana-abramson-2020-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Alana Abramson


Jul 20, 2017 4:05 PM UTC

[John McCain](http://time.com/4859969/mitch-mcconnell-gop-healthcare-bill-vote-john-mccain/) on Thursday thanked supporters for the well-wishes he received after it was announced that the longtime Arizona Senator [has brain cancer](http://time.com/4865775/john-mccain-brain-cancer-tumor-glioblastoma/?iid=sr-link4).

“I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support — unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I’ll be back soon, so stand-by!” read a message posted on McCain’s Twitter account.

> [](https://twitter.com/SenJohnMcCain/status/888057312992260097)

McCain’s office said Wednesday that doctors discovered a brain tumor known as a glioblastoma while the Senator was undergoing surgery for a blood clot near his eye. The office added that McCain and his family are considering treatment options.

Following the announcement, support immediately began [pouring in](http://time.com/4865801/john-mccain-brain-cancer-reactions/?iid=sr-link1) from both sides of the aisle. “Cancer doesn’t know what it’s up against,” former President Barack Obama, who faced McCain in the 2008 presidential election, [wrote on Twitter](https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/887836712822558720?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref%5Furl=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F4865801%2Fjohn-mccain-brain-cancer-reactions%2F). “Give it hell, John.”

John McCain Thanks Supporters After Brain Cancer Diagnosis

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