Cindy McCain, the widow of longtime Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain, is reported to be among those being considered for an ambassador position by President Joe Biden.

McCain, who holds a legacy of her own in the state as a businesswoman, philanthropist and humanitarian, told the national media last week that she would willingly accept a post if the president offers it. 

“In whatever way he sees fit, I would be proud and honored to serve,” McCain CNN. 

McCain is reportedly being considered for U.S. ambassador to the , the food assistance branch of the United Nations. 

Since 1962, the WFP has been fighting hunger and famine since 1962. Right now, it is taking on its largest scale-up ever in response to COVID-19, providing meals to 109 million of the world’s most vulnerable people in more than 80 countries this year.

Continuing tradition as independent thinker

Cindy McCain is a lifelong Republican, but she endorsed Democrat Biden during his campaign. 

At the time, McCain said that she and her late husband put “country first” and she supported Biden for several reasons, including his promise to find common ground between the two parties. That was a theme of her husband, who died in August 2018.

Longtime friends with the Bidens 

The McCains were longtime friends with the Bidens even when the two were senators sparring on opposite sides in the U.S. Senate. 

Another well-known Republican from Arizona, former senators Jeff Flake, is also reportedly under consideration for an envoy position. Flake also endorsed Biden during his 2020 campaign. 

Honored for work on behalf of those living under difficult circumstances

McCain has become a beacon worldwide for those living under the most difficult circumstances. Earlier this year, she received the Arizona Âé¶čŽ«ĂœÓł»­ of Commerce & Industry’s highest award, the Heritage Award, which honors those who have helped not only Arizona but the world beyond.

McCain’s work includes creating worldwide awareness about human trafficking. She has flown to the far reaches of the “worst areas of the world” to help those trapped in poverty, suffering from life threatening health conditions, or held hostage in human trafficking rings. 

She has traveled to places like Rwanda, the East Congo and Bangladesh, the country where she adopted her daughter Bridget, whose severe cleft palate was a threat to her life. Nursing Bridget through multiple surgeries motivated McCain to work with Operation Smile. The charity provides free facial surgeries for cleft palates, cleft lips and other malformations. 

Reaching out to war-torn and disaster areas 

In 1988, McCain founded the American Voluntary Medical Team to send medical personnel to disaster-stricken and war-torn developing world countries.  

She has traveled the world to help with the removal of landmines, sent medical supplies to devastated communities, promoted early childhood brain development, and advocated for injured veterans through her involvement with charities like the Eastern Congo Initiative, CARE, HALO Trust, Project C.U.R.E., Too Small to Fail, and Warriors and Quiet Waters. 

Putting an end to human trafficking

McCain has also brought great attention in Arizona, the nation and the world to the plight of women and children who are victims of human trafficking. 

She chairs the Human Trafficking Advisory Council for the . Through her work, new laws have been passed and community initiatives jump started. 

Bringing civility to politics and the internet 

McCain also is carrying on her husband’s wish to bring back civil discourse to politics and the internet through the McCain Institute.

The think tank was founded in 2012 with Arizona State University to “advance leadership based on security, economic opportunity, freedom, and human dignity, in the United States and around the world.”

“There’s more that unites us than divides us and we should respect our common heritage,” she said. 

Chair of one of nation’s largest Anheuser-Busch distributors 

McCain also is an Arizona businesswoman. Her parents, Marguerite and Jim Hensley, began to grow the Hensley brand when they first brought cold beer to the state in the 1950s.

Today, she is on the board of trustees of her late father’s enterprise, the Hensley Beverage Company, one of the nation’s largest distributors of Anheuser-Busch.

McCain, who has lived all her life in Arizona, has appeared on national news shows and other outlets in recent months, including and magazine, which last month published an excerpt from her new , “Stronger: Courage, Hope, and Humor in My Life with John McCain.”

If the ambassadorship does not happen, McCain said she has plenty to keep her busy. 

“Right now, I’m concentrating on three and a half grandbabies —we have another one on the way —and my work on and human trafficking and human rights’ violations.”

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Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer with over 12,000 new cases a year and a 16-month median survival rate. Due to the complexity and unique nature of this disease, little progress has been made to find new and effective treatment options.

This grim reality hit home in Arizona when Sen. John McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma in July of 2017. As someone whose resilient spirit had been the hallmark of their public image after countless close calls with death, the country watched with grief as McCain’s health deteriorated at a rapid pace. Even with access to the best healthcare in the world, the senator wouldn’t even make it to the median survival rate having lost his battle a little over a year after his diagnosis.

McCain’s passing prompted government leaders to take action. In Arizona, where his death sent shockwaves throughout the state, community officials took a newfound interest in the research being done to help brain cancer patients, specifically the groundbreaking Phase 0 clinical trials being conducted right in their own backyard at the.

Glioblastoma Awareness Day 

and after learning about the unconventional method their researchers are taking to treat aggressive brain tumors, both left with a general consensus: more needs to be done to bring awareness to glioblastoma and accelerate research. Shortly after each of their visits, the Arizona senators joined forces with other prominent senate members and unanimously passed a bi-partisan resolution designating July 17, 2019 as the inaugural Glioblastoma Awareness Day (GBM Day). Observed as a day to honor those who have been impacted by the disease, the initiative also supports efforts to develop better treatment options that will improve patients’ long-term prognosis.

The response was overwhelming with scores of individuals and families contributing to the Glioblastoma Awareness Day campaign, enabling the to. The success of the first year encouraged those same leaders to to show their unwavering support to move the needle on brain tumor research and announced this year’s will be on Wednesday, July 22, 2020.

Arizona Leads The Charge in Brain Cancer Treatment

Even before the passing of Sen. John McCain, Arizona had been at the forefront of brain cancer research. Located in the heart of Phoenix, the nationally-recognized Barrow Neurological Institute treats the largest volume of brain tumor patients than anywhere else in the country and the Ivy Foundation in Scottsdale is the largest privately funded brain cancer research foundation in North America having dedicated over $100 million since 2005. Both entities have become instrumental in the design and implementation of one of the most ambitious programs to treat aggressive brain tumors, Ivy Phase 0 clinical trials.

The Ivy Center’s Phase 0 clinical trials program is the largest of its kind in the world and enables personalized care in a fraction of the time and cost associated with traditional drug development. Unlike conventional clinical trials focusing on single drugs, its accelerated trials program tests therapeutic combinations matched to individual patients. Ivy Phase 0 clinical trials are challenging the status quo and giving hope to brain tumor patients now more than ever.

Pandemic or Not, the Fight Continues

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, universities and medical centers have shuttered their doors, closed crucial cancer studies, suspended clinical trials, and postponed surgeries. At the Ivy Center, brain cancer research continues to be top priority. The Center has screened a record number of patients, received FDA-approval on three new clinical trials, two of which launched in May and June, and has continued to grow by hiring some of the brightest minds in the field. Brain cancer doesn’t stop during a pandemic and for those being impacted by this disease, new and experimental treatment options may be their only hope.

As Glioblastoma Awareness Day approaches, in the midst of a global health crisis, it’s important to acknowledge how far research has come and how far it has yet to go. We hope you will join the Ivy Brain Tumor Center and countless others who will be honoring on Wednesday, July 22. The support of research development and new treatment options will help thousands of people in their quest to overcome this disease. To learn more about the groundbreaking brain tumor research being done in Arizona, visit the Ivy Brain Tumor Center’s 

Melinda Langdon is the director of communications at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, a non-profit translational research program in Phoenix, AZ that employs a bold, early-phase clinical trials strategy to identify new treatments for aggressive brain tumors, including glioblastoma.

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