But he wasn't the only senator battling late-stage cancer whose vote effectively saved Obamacare. On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, also voted against the "skinny repeal" bill. Hirono announced she was diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer in May. Her doctor noticed an abnormality on an X-ray and discovered that it was kidney cancer, which had already spread to her seventh rib. "When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer," Hirono said, "I heard from so many of my colleagues, including so many of my colleagues from the other side of the aisle, who wrote me such wonderful notes."

Source: CNN July 28, 2017 18:33 UTC