Elizabeth Edwards

Wife of former Sen. John Edwards dies in U.S.Elizabeth Edwards was 61 and fighting cancer.She was separated from her husband after discovering his son out of wedlock.
Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Sen. John Edwards, who became a candidate for vice president of the United States, died Tuesday (7) after a six-year struggle with cancer. She was 61.She died at her home in North Carolina, surrounded by his three sons, brothers, friends and her husband, John, who was separated, the family said."Today we lost the comfort of the presence of Elizabeth, but she remains the heart of this family," the family said in a statement. "We love you and will never know anyone more inspiring and full of life."She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, in the final days of her husband's campaign for vice president alongside John Kerry when George W. Bush was reelected.John Edwards has become Democratic candidate for president again in 2008 but was defeated by Barack Obama.The couple separated in January after he admitted fathering a child with a cameraman during a campaign affair.

Elizabeth Edwards, the estranged wife of former Presidential candidate John Edwards, is in her final stage of her long and public battle with cancer.Edwards is believed to only have weeks left to live and is with family and friends at her North Carolina home Edwards has been widely praised for her advocacy on behalf of cancer patients and research against the backdrop of her husband’s infidelity stemming from a relationship with a campaign videographer.

Elizabeth Anania Edwards (born Mary Elizabeth Anania on July 3, 1949, in Jacksonville, Florida) is an attorney, best-selling author, and the estranged wife of John Edwards, a former U.S. Senator from North Carolina who was the 2004 United States Democratic vice-presidentialnominee.

Breast Cancer

On November 3, 2004, the day Kerry conceded defeat in the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election, Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with breast cancer. She later revealed that she discovered a lump in her breast while on a campaign stop in Kenosha, Wisconsin a few weeks earlier, in the midst of the campaign. Edwards was treated and has remained an activist for women's health and cancer patients. In a November 2006 comment on the Daily Kos website, Edwards stated that on her last visit her oncologist said that cancer was not one of the things going on in her life.

In September 2006, Edwards released a book, Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers, focusing on the death of her son and her battle with breast cancer. In May 2009, Edwards released a second book, Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities, further detailing her battles with cancer, the 1996 death of her son Wade, the earlier death of her father, the effect of these events on her marriage to John Edwards, his subsequent infidelity, and the general state of health care in America.

At a March 22, 2007 press conference, John and Elizabeth Edwards announced that her cancer had returned, and that his campaign for the Presidency would continue as before. The announcement included the information that she was asymptomatic, and therefore that she expected to be an active part of the campaign. Her doctor, Dr. Lisa Carey of the University of North Carolina's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, described the diagnosis as stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer with a spot in her rib and possibly her lung. In a March 25 interview on 60 Minutes, Edwards said that there was also a spot in her hip found on her bone scan. Elizabeth and John Edwards and Dr. Carey stressed that the cancer is not curable, but is treatable. In early April 2007, Edwards was informed that her cancer may be treatable with anti-estrogen drugs. "I consider that a good sign. It means there are more medications to which I can expect to be responsive," she told the Associated Press during a campaign stop with her husband in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

On December 6, 2010, Edwards' family announced that she would stop cancer treatment after her doctors advised her that further treatment would be unproductive, the cancer having metastasized to her liver (it was already in her rib, hip, and lung). She was advised she had several weeks to live. Her family members, including her husband John, were with her. She posted the following message on Facebook:

You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces – my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human.

But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful. It isn't possible to put into words the love and gratitude I feel to everyone who has and continues to support and inspire me every day. To you I simply say: you know."