Elizabeth Edwards, extraordinary woman!

[Grace]

I just finished watching the Edwards news conference regarding Elizabeth Edwards' recurrence. A year ago, it would have just been another news conference. Today, it was an extraordinarily emotional moment for me, listening to this couple who love each other so much--their love comes right off the screen. I hope she makes it for many years to come.

[Audrey]

I'm so sad about Elizabeth Edward's bone mets...Michele U. and I heard her speak at Lance Armstrong's Livestrong cancer survivors' summit a few months ago in Austin and she was fabulous. So warm and down-to-earth--I really hope she can find a successful treatment --I remember her saying that her cancer diagnosis was nothing compared to her son's death in a car accident at 16--hate to think of her and John suffering again. I hate this disease!

[janet/FL]

I am so sorry to hear about this. I just finished reading her book, Saving Graces, about her life and first diagnosis. She is an amazing woman and I recommend the book. Particularly for anyone who has also lost a child. I do wonder if all of the fertility drugs she took to have her youngest children may not have played a part in the cancer. But, of course, who knows. So sad.

[Erin]

I have not read her book....was she HER2 positive?

[Becky]

Also, what was her initial bc diagnosis - nodes involved, tumor size. ER/PR status. Her book must outline that.

[skeetur]

I found references that she found a half dollar size lump in her breast. It was IDC. Node negative. She had chemo first to shrink it followed by surgery (lumpectomy/partial mast) and then rads.

Skeetur

[AlaskaAngel]

The book didn't go into the more technical aspects of her particular diagnosis. She went to Dana-Farber initially and then Sloan-Kettering. Bone scan was negative, and a concern about mets to the liver turned out to be an angioma instead. I think she and John are very interesting people.

A.A.

[Mary Jo]

Man, that makes me sad. So sad! A reminder how vulnerable we all really are. This damn disease is awful BUT it can not dominate our lives unless we let it. We'll deal with what is dealt us and carry on with strength and trust in the Lord. That's all any of us can do.

Mary Jo

[RobinP]

I was sadden to hear of Mrs. Edwards' cancer relapse. Perhaps God will use this very public figure to bring more attention to some of the sensitive issues of bc that definitely need more public awareness.May God bless her and her family. PS Becky I did not read Saving Graces. However, I recall reading, a while back, an article in I think People Magazine that said Mrs. Edwards had stagelll bc that was I think? hormonal positive and ??her2 negative.

[Lolly]

Here's a link to the current issue of MAMM magazine; Elizabeth Edwards is on the cover and her story is inside, but no detailed info on type of bc. Also this issue was out before the recurrence, but still a very thoughtful interview.

MAMM
http://www.mamm.com/main.php?optjs=1

[Vicki]

Gosh, I'm feeling like so many of you who saw Elizabeth and John Edwards on the news today. They carry amazing strength and integrity as they handle these difficult moments in their lives.

I, too, heard she was stage III, but I don't know about her er or her2 status. I did hear her mention many times her doctor's name, Dr. Lisa Cary, is this right? Perhaps, I misspelled the name.

Also, from the way Elizabeth talked, the bone cancer was on her right rear side and asymptomatic and the bone fracture or broken rib was on her left side and not cancer and was caused when she was attempting to move an antique chest and twisted her back and then later was hugged by her husband and they both heard a pop.

I think John summed up the timeline of events in an extraordinary fashion and he was quite frank when he said her condition is not curable, but treatable. I wish Elizabeth the very best in her treatment and her prognosis.

She and her husband are an amazing couple and their children are learning some powerful life lessons from these two shining examples who face situations in such a direct, open and candid way. Even with all the reporters and cameras present, they are so kind and caring and I wish them well.

Vicki Z.

[Andi]

I really admire the way the Edwards have handled this. I think it is a good opportunity for the public to be made aware that a recurrence does not equate with a death sentence. Some of the news people out there are making some really off the wall comments to that regard. I know I always had that perception until my breast cancer diagnosis and finding this web site. It really opened my eyes to read about how so many of the ladies on this web site are living with mets. Now that I have joined that club, I plan to do the same. Does anyone know for sure what Mrs. Edward's Her 2 status is? I've listened to her speak on several tv shows over the years, but I never picked up on that part of her diagnosis.

[tousled1]

I think that the news of her recurrence brings to the forefront what a dreadful disease breast cancer is. Each one of us here lives every day with this disease and the fear of the unknown factor of if and when we will have a recurrence. As we all know, there are many women on this site who are living with Stage IV breast cancer. I find that these women offer hope, inspiration, and support to me and make me realize that breast cancer is a chronic disease that is treatable. Hopefully Elizabeth and all of us here will have very long and productive lives.

[rinaina]

My thoughts and prayers are with both Elizabeth Edwards and her entire family. This is one horrific disease and perhaps being in the public eye and in government, her experiences can do some good. I feel so deeply for her and this hits a little too close to home now for so many of us with the threat of a recurrence hanging over our heads and for those with recurrences or metastasis's already. I am so saddened to hear of another bc sister who has progressed. This is a hateful disease.

[michele u]

Like Audrey said. we saw her talk in Austin. She said she was stage 3 but i still don't know if she is Her2 pos. There are alot of mixed feelings about him staying in the race. I'm sure she is telling him to keep going, but before he said he would drop out if her health changed. How does everyone feel about that? I'm not sure yet. I like the fact that they are being strong, but I'm hoping he won't someday wish he spent more time with her.

[Barbara2]

I believe her Dr. advised her/them that her present condition of mets is still in an early stage...that what she has is "treatable" and that she could have many more years to live. Metastasis was described as a "chronic" condition that could be treated in much the same was as diabetis, or such diseases of this sort that are chronic. Her Dr. also explained that today we see cancer differently than we did in the past... nothing was presented in a negative light, so they feel they have every reason to press forward.

They were so positive and hopeful, that I don't think they even considered that he would not continue on in his political ambitions. She knows she will have times of being tired, and accepts the fact that she may have to step out of the picture from time to time and get rest.

He said that if at any time she should need him by her side, he would be there, no matter what. They will have millions of prayers said for them, praying for her healling. They've been blessed with a marriage filled with a kind of love that many couples will never realize.

They feel they are doing the right thing. God willilng, Mrs. Edwards will be with her family for a long, long time.

[lu ann]

Three years ago, just before my 48th Birthday I didn't think I would live more then 6 months. Today I celebrated my 51st Birthday since being DX February 6, 2004. I too have the mets to my bones, which is supposed to be a more treatable area. I wish them all the best. Lu Ann

[G. Ann]

One remark I heard Elizabeth Edwards make today was about how aches and pain after her diagnosis and treatment (paraphrasing) "put me on alert, wondering if cancer is coming back." I'm sure we all can identify with that. She also commented on how she is grateful for the cracked/broken rib as it revealed the problem sooner since she was not experiencing any other symptoms.

Most of the news coverage I heard was very positive for her treatment. Even if she isn't HER2 neu positive, Elizabeth would be very encouraged to read the posts on this website from the women who are Stage IV and are commited to fighting BC and living well.

I bought a card that has a verse by Emily Dickinson. It reads:
Hope is a strange invention--A patent of the heart--In unremitting action, Yet Never Wearing Out.

[MGordon]

... all I can say is look no further than right here! God bless John and Elizabeth Edwards, and I will pray for the entire family - but look around. The most extraordinary women I have EVER met/heard are right here!

I thank God for the privledge of knowing you all!

Love and Light
Mel

[Grace]

With respect to Michele's question, I think Elizabeth and John Edwards' decision to go ahead makes complete sense. If he stopped now, they would both be at home together waiting for "that horrible" thing to happen. This way they're together on the campaign trail most days and more important she's busy all the time, not thinking about cancer. In many ways I wish I had been working at something different when I was diagnosed, rather than at home writing. I became consumed, crusing the internet looking at cancer sites, reading about cancer, thinking about cancer. She won't have time to do that, will still get her treatments, and whatever happens, happens. I wouldn't mind at all running for First Lady.

[janet/FL]

From the book, it seems that Elizabeth and John campaign separately most of the time. Of course, it could change, but they do want to cover the most territory, and meet the most people. She campaigned in small venues, such as library's and coffees and small groups. Of course they were about unknown it the last election. By the end of the election the groups that gathered to see her were quite large. Both also have to make time to see the younger children. Either having them with them or going to visit them. Quite a strenuous life. She knows a lot what is ahead of her. Hopefully she will not have any allergic or unusual reactions to the drugs.

[John21]

Just have to, all you should be on TV! You are all outstanding, extraordinary, incredible and the list goes on, women. The world should see the extent of this disease from all, not just one individual. The numbers would be staggering and the impact would be a benefit!

Just my two bits!

[RobinP]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,260490,00.html

[Lolly]

Our local paper had a nice article this morning, which included an e-mail address set up by the campaign for well-wishers:

elizabeth@johnedwards.com

I sent an e-mail this morning thanking her for being a positive face for Stage IV'ers.

<3 Lolly

[rinaina]

Thank you Lolly and Robin for both of your links.

[VirginiaGirl]

I've had mixed reactions to this news, after sorrow for what she has suffered and will be going through. Grateful for the attention such a public figure will bring to our disease, a little irritated that I couldn't turn on the news without seeing it and thinking of all the women on this board and elsewhere who have "silently" fought for so long and are the "everyday heros" to the rest of us and our families. At first I couldn't believe John Edwards was continuing the campaign, but then I know that working has helped keep me sane and focused and normalized life for my 9 year old daughter. I guess we all help others according to our talents and in our own ways!
Peace and Blessings

[Ceesun]

I felt so proud of her and of us all after the way the announcement was made-what a lady full of grace. Ceesun

[MCS]

this damn diseace sure cuts all political ideology, don't it?

I feel like I know exactly what she's going through, just like all of us do.

I hope she gets good treatment and holds through. We are lucky to have her and i'm glad she has come out and let all to know, that in itself is support for her recovery.

I hope that she is outspoken. the more exposure, the more awareness, more research funds, a cure? Well you all know my speech on this one :)

MCS ( maria)

[Ruth]

This news also saddened me deeply. Such an amazing woman with incredible spirit. She was not HER2+ at her original diagnosis and also had positive lymph nodes...not sure how many but think it was several. This is from a friend that worked under Clinton and is friends with them. We can pray for her and her family and hopefully get her into remission. My friend told me that how we see them publically is how they are privately. They have deep love and affection for each other. It is so sad!!

Ruth

[Kimberly Lewis]

I am very glad they decided to run. I bet it was her pushing him to do so. I recently told my husband to not hold back because of my disease and to pursue his career. I was stage 3 w/7 nodes and just felt like we were holding our breath waiting for metastasis~ Since then he has gone all out to find a job he will love. In preparation for a possible move I have sold my pottery equipment and ended my work as a clay artist. I am pursuing other artistic endevors. I was hurt that some of my friends thought he was being selfish to do this to me. In spite of my telling then I was pushing him to do it. I know my life might not be going on for 20 or more years but his hopefully will. He needs to live like it will and I want to do all I can to not hold him back. I will continue to live and breathe art wherever we are. He has loved me so well through this... I completly understand the Edwards decision to go on living! Cancer will not kill me till I am in the grave!

[Kimberly Lewis]

well, after I post my two cents I read this in the NYTimes.... wow.
<nyt_headline version="1.0" type=" "> Facing a New Battle, Mrs. Edwards Set Campaign’s Fate </nyt_headline>

<nyt_byline version="1.0" type=" "> </nyt_byline>By JENNIFER STEINHAUER (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/jennifer_steinhauer/index.html?inline=nyt-per)
<nyt_text> </nyt_text> LAS VEGAS, March 24 — As the nurse fumbled to find the vein in her arm last Wednesday and Elizabeth Edwards (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/e/elizabeth_edwards/index.html?inline=nyt-per) was bracing for the worst possible news, her decision about her husband’s presidential campaign was sealed.

A doctor had already told her a bone scan revealed that her cancer had returned in an incurable form. Mrs. Edwards was preparing for further tests — ones she said she expected would reveal a perilous spread of the cancer — and her husband, who is squeamish about IV’s, had left the room.

“I was feeling particularly desperate,” she said during an interview here Saturday with her husband, John.

As she spoke with the nurses, Mrs. Edwards recalled: “They said they really supported John, and I started sort of breaking apart. I said, ‘It’s really important that he run.’ ”

Mrs. Edwards — whose decision to push her husband to run for president in spite of her illness provoked an intense discussion across the country about illness, ambition, child-rearing and death — said her husband’s candidacy was not only about his needs and desires. She said it also reflected her own life and her wish to be something other than a woman best known for her illness.

“I expect to live a long time,” Mrs. Edwards said. “I expect us to have lots and lots of years together. I do believe that. But if that’s not the case, I don’t want my legacy to be that I pulled somebody who ought to be president out of the race. It’s not fair to me, in a sense.”

Saying she hoped to be “heavily involved” in her husband’s campaign, she said: “My feeling is, if we gave up what we have committed to as our life’s work, wouldn’t I be getting ready to die? That’s what I’d be doing. This cause is not just John’s cause, it’s my cause.”

Her feelings that her husband should press on with his bid were oddly illuminated, she said, as she sat getting her IV, thinking that the test results would reveal cancer throughout her body — something that turned out not to be the case.

“I was thinking at the time if I light up like a Christmas tree perhaps John would feel like he could not be a candidate,” she said.

Mr. Edwards, in announcing his wife’s condition, said Thursday that his campaign to capture the Democratic presidential nomination “goes on strongly.” Yesterday, the couple were in Las Vegas at a health care forum after a round of fund-raising events in California.

Mrs. Edwards, who received her original diagnosis of breast cancer at the end of the 2004 campaign, realized last Monday that she was feeling worrisome pains. On Wednesday she spent an 11-hour day at a North Carolina hospital getting confirmation of a diagnosis of stage four breast cancer, which had moved into her bones.

The couple’s immediate announcement that the campaign would continue set into motion a judgment day of sorts for the two, with some Americans seeing their decision as a symbol of strength, and others smelling something more like craven ambition.

Some people — as demonstrated by responses to blogs and other forums — believe the Edwardses are stealing time from each other and their children, while others see a couple that has weathered the tribulations and assaults life brings to most families, and could set a national example of coping. Mr. Edwards characterized both points of view as “fair” ones.

“I want the country to understand that people are completely entitled to their opinions on this,” Mr. Edwards said in a 30-minute interview largely dominated by Mrs. Edwards. During the interview, the candidate carefully kept looking at his wife, at times tucking his hand gently under her arm, other times finishing her sentences.

The couple framed their decision and their coping mechanisms — both now and potentially for the future — through the loss of their son, Wade, who was killed in a car accident in 1996.

In terms of being mindful of their young children, Emma Claire, 8, and Jack, 6, Mr. Edwards said, “We both recognize that there is a tension in our desire to be the best possible parents we can be for our kids — and remember this is in the context of parents who lost a child — and our desire to serve our country.”

He added, “We will have to be sensitive to the needs of our children,” and said their youngest children would be a constant presence on the campaign trail. Both Mr. and Mrs. Edwards said they felt that their children would learn by their example. And they said they were confident their decision to run was the right one, even if some voters believe the exact opposite to be true.

“I think the best thing you can give your children is wings,” Mrs. Edwards said, to teach them to “stand by themselves in a stiff wind.”

Mr. Edwards said he could not anticipate a situation in which he would ever regret running for the presidency or serving, even if his wife’s illness brought her an early death. “Honestly I don’t,” he said.

“He shouldn’t,” Mrs. Edwards interjected.

A nation mourning a first lady, or having one who is seriously ill, would be much to bear. But in such a potential trial, they said, would rest their humanity, something that would bind them to other Americans who have experienced loss. Mr. Edwards also said he understood concerns that he could not properly focus on running a nation should his wife deteriorate or die. But he said, “I know from the tough life experiences we have already been through I will be able to focus and have the maturity to make judgments under difficult circumstances.”

Alluding to his son’s death, he said: “We have been through this kind of difficulty before. And I know how we respond.”

When asked about the suggestion some have made that the continuing campaign is an act of supreme denial about her cancer, Mrs. Edwards looked momentarily struck. Then, with her husband looking on somewhat tensely, she hurled back: “Absolutely! I am not giving it anything. If it expects to be the boss of me it’s gonna have to earn that.”

She added, “I am denying it control over how I spend the rest of my life.”

Although both Mr. and Mrs. Edwards professed surprise at the attention their decision has received, they said they saw a bright side: a national discussion of the ability of patients to live with cancer and of how people need to live their lives under the shroud of mortality.

“We made the choice to live,” Mrs. Edwards said. “We don’t want to do it surrounded by a veil of tears.”

[Becky]

You are a very special lady and it is evident how much you love and respect not only your husband but your marriage.

What you wrote is lovely and it came from your heart. And was truthful and sincere.

[Annemarie]

Truthfully I think it is a family decison on what ever the Edwards decide on. That being said based on my experiences as a bc with brain mets I would not want my husband to run for President (not that he was planning on it) LOL! It has taken it's emotional and physical toll on our family. I find it comforting that whenever I come out from a brain MRI that my husband is in the waiting room- hard to be there when you are president. I am all for people fulfilling their dreams despite their illness. I certainly have. My husband and I do not stay home thinking about my cancer. I just think it is very stressful having metastatic cancer and to be president would just be so overwhelming not to mention the two young children involved. Just my thoughts.

[Chelee]

I really feel for Mrs. Edwards and certainly appreciate her making this public as it brings more awareness to this awful diease. But one thing I can't help but think family is more important and *later* might be a better time for John Edwards to hit the campaign road. I really think right now he could do more good by going around and rasing money for cancer research instead of for his campaign.

I personally feel like this will be wasted money John Edwards raises and later on down the road this would gain him alot of respect and votes. He's a great guy and he is still a very young man. He has plenty of time and right now I think he would get more votes next term if he was to campaign for cancer research right now. I can't speak for Mrs. Edwards but I do know if I was in their position it would feel great to take advantage of this chance to raise awareness and put focus on whats needed for more cancer awareness. I can't help but think that would'nt be a more positive thing for Mrs. Edwards. (But again, I will not pretend to speak for her or know how she feels.) I am sincerely thankful she went public with this. That alone speaks volumes. I was listening to one news reporter and he thought this way too. That the amount of money they raise for his campaign would be better used for cancer research. (I have very mixed feelings about this.)

Chelee