Joe Biden and Meghan McCain, the daughter of Senator John McCain, may come from different political parties, but on Wednesday their grief united them.
The former vice president appeared on The View on Wednesday to promote his book titled 'Promise Me, Dad' but he ended up serving as a comforter to co-host Meghan McCain, whose father John McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the same cancer that took the life of Biden's late son, Beau.
During the show, Meghan became emotional talking about her father’s diagnosis of stage 4 glioblastoma, a rare and highly aggressive form of brain cancer that has a median survival rate of 14 months. She broke down in tears as she spoke and Biden switched seats so he could hold her hand and comfort her.
Biden spoke about how his son was friends with the Arizona senator, and how there was hope for McCain thanks to advances in medicine.
"There’s a lot of things happening. Any of you who have somebody who is diagnosed with gliobastoma, which is about as bad as it gets, there’s breakthroughs that are occurring now. And it can happen tomorrow," Biden said. "There is hope. And if anybody can make it, your dad [can]."
Biden, a lifelong Democrat also detailed his close relationship with McCain, a Republican. He likened their relationship to "two brothers who were somehow raised by different fathers", and said that though they always have different points of view they still love each other and will always be there for each other. He also spoke of how John McCain and his late son Beau became really good friends and said Beau always talked about McCain's courage.
He said: "One of the things that gave Beau courage, my word, was John. You may remember—when you were a little kid—your dad took care of my Beau. . . . Your dad became friends with Beau, and Beau talked about your dad’s courage, not about illness, but about his courage."
After the segment aired, Meghan McCain tweeted: "There are no words I have to convey my immense gratitude to @JoeBiden and his family. Your strength, hope, and fortitude are an inspiration to me and so many others daily. Thank you for your kindness today and sharing your story with us."
John McCain also commented on the segment, tweeting: "Thank you @JoeBiden and the entire Biden family for serving as an example and source of strength for my own family."
No comments: