John McCain‘s wife, Cindy McCain, suffered a “mild stroke” in Italy while in the country as the head of the U.N. World Food Program. She has since returned home to Arizona and will be taking a leave from her post as she recovers.
Cindy, the 71-year-old widow of the late Senator John McCain and mother of former View co-host Meghan McCain, shared a statement with the Associated Press, saying, “I want to thank the medical staff in Italy for the excellent treatment I received. My recovery is progressing well thanks to their outstanding care.”
“I look forward to continuing my recuperation at home in Arizona with my family,” she added.
According to the AP, Cindy is expected to make a “full recovery” and intends to return to her position at the U.N. World Food Program, where she has been serving since May 2023, in four to six weeks once she receives approval from her doctor.
In addition to Meghan, who is known for her appearances on ABC News, Fox News, and MSNBC, Cindy is the mother to Jack McCain, Jimmy McCain, and Bridget McCain. Her late husband was also the father of three children from his first marriage to Carol Shepp.
John passed away in 2018 due to a malignant brain tumor. He was 81 years old. Cindy marked her husband’s birthday in August, sharing a photo of John’s grave and writing, “Happy Heavenly 89th Johnny!”
Meghan, who is expecting her third child with her husband, Ben Domenech, also paid tribute to her father in August. She and her brother Jimmy shared memories of their dad on the former’s podcast, Citizen McCain with Meghan McCain.
“He was not precious. He had a really filthy and dark sense of humor,” Meghan said, per People. “And I think he would be really entertained and confused by the way some people talk about him.”
This is the second stroke Cindy has suffered. Her first happened in 2004 when she was 49 years old. Speaking to Brain & Life in 2010, Cindy recalled how she was having lunch with friends when, “I tried to speak and found I couldn’t talk or walk.”
She was rushed to the hospital, where it was determined she had suffered a minor stroke due to high blood pressure.