Elizabeth Edwards & Breast Cancer
The Former Presidential Candidate's Wife Makes Strides
Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Democratic candidate John Edwards, has stage four metastatic cancer. Nevertheless, she moves forward during uncertain times.
Breast cancer doesn't wait until October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to rear its ugly head. That's why it's important to acknowledge this disease and its survivors year-round. Perhaps one of the more high-profile figures battling breast cancer today is Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. As a figure in the public eye, she demonstrates courage and tenacity during a very difficult time.
Elizabeth Edwards: Life, Career, and Family
Elizabeth Edwards was born Mary Elizabeth Anania in 1949 in Jacksonville, Florida. She attended the University of North Carolina for her undergraduate degree and went on to attain her law degree. During these years she met John Edwards, who was also studying law. The two wed in 1977.
Edwards was an associate at the law firm Harwell, Barr, Martin & Sloan for three years in Nashville, Tennessee. She and John then moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where she worked for the Attorney General's office and the law firm Merriman, Nicholls, and Crampton until 1996.
The Edwards have three living children: a daughter Catharine in her twenties, and a daughter Emma and a son Jack who are both adolescents. Their oldest son Wade died in a car accident in 1996. For this reason, Elizabeth Edwards retired from her legal career and devoted her energy administering to the Wade Edwards Foundation.
Elizabeth Edwards is Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
Elizabeth Edwards helped her husband campaign in the 2004 presidential election: John Edwards was the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, backing up candidate John Kerry. After Kerry lost the election to George Bush in early November, Elizabeth Edwards announced that she had breast cancer. She had found a palpable lump that was confirmed to be malignant. In 2006, Edwards published her book Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers. She focused on her primary challenges: the death of her son and her battle with breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Returns
In March of 2007, during the preliminary showing of Democratic presidential hopefuls, John and Elizabeth Edwards announced together that Elizabeth's cancer had returned, this time spreading to bone and possibly lung tissues. This was termed "stage four/ metastatic" cancer.
Edwards' oncologist gave vague odds. Dr. Lisa Carey explained that stage four cancer is no longer curable, but it can be treated to shrink existing tumors, thereby slowing the cancer's progress and prolonging Elizabeth's life. It is uncertain whether a person at this stage of the disease will live for several weeks or several more years.
In the meantime, Elizabeth Edwards has helped her husband give the 2008 presidential campaign his best shot. John Edwards, accompanied by his wife, followed the trail until the end of January 2008, when he left his two stronger opponents, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, to finish the contest. It seems that the Edwards have a bigger race ahead of them.
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