Joe Biden is many things: a father, a husband, the former vice president of the United States, an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, an ice cream aficionado. Since leaving the Oval Office earlier this year, Biden has devoted much of his time to supporting glioblastoma (a brain cancer) research, the same disease that ultimately took his son Beau's life in 2015 and that Senator John McCain is currently battling.
Biden details how harrowing the experience was in his new book, Promise Me, Dad; but, despite all of the pain, the former VP is always resilient. On Wednesday, he brought his optimism to the set of The View, where he and Meghan McCain discussed the heartbreaking disease and medical advancements, Vanity Fair reports.
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The nearly eight-minute discussion began with an emotional McCain saying that she "couldn't get through" his book because it was too painful. As she teared up, Biden got up from his seat, sat beside her, and told her how her father "gave Beau courage."
"Your dad took care of my Beau...and Beau talked about your dad's courage. Not about illness, but his courage.," he said, before discussing some of the breakthroughs taking place in the field.
"If anybody can make it, [it's] her dad," he continued. "Her dad is one of my best friends. Her dad goes after me hammer and tong. We're like two brothers who were somehow raised by different fathers or something because of our points of view. I know, and I mean this sincerely...if I picked up the phone tonight and called John McCain and said, 'John, I'm at 2nd and Vine in Oshkosh and I need your help, come,' he'd get on a plane and come.' And, I would for him, too."
His story touched McCain, who smiled and laughed; but it was his next message that resonated with her, and everyone in the audience most.
"There's hope. You have to have hope," he said.