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Elizabeth Edwards To Be Buried Next To Her Deceased Son Wade
Elizabeth Edwards will be buried Saturday in Raleigh, next to her oldest son, who was killed 14 years ago in a traffic accident, according to Brown-Wynne Funeral Home.
Edwards died of cancer Tuesday at her home surrounded by her three children, siblings, friends and her estranged husband, John. She was 61.
According to Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, a public funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Edenton Street United Methodist Church, located at 228 W. Edenton St. in Raleigh.
A private burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Wade Edwards Foundation.
Elizabeth Edwards' legacy: toughness amid tragedy
A son dying young. A six-year battle with cancer. A humiliating betrayal.
Americans knew Elizabeth Edwards in large part through her tragedies, but more importantly, they knew her for the vitality and determination she showed through them. Her cancer incurable and her former-presidential-candidate husband mired in a paternity scandal, she did not shrink from public life but shared her story and advocated for health-care reform.
"We can look at that face of courage and realize we can have that, too," said Darlene Gardner, 62, who runs a cancer support group and founded a store in Cary that provides wigs and other items for those with the disease. "It shows you that, in spite of everything that's going on, you can come through anything."
Elizabeth Edwards and her family had informed the public that she had weeks, if not days, left when they announced on Monday that doctors had told her that further treatment would do no good. Ever the public figure, Edwards thanked supporters on her Facebook page.
"The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered," she wrote. "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."
Her final days were in the company of her surviving children and their father.
"He loved Elizabeth," David "Mudcat" Saunders, a political adviser and friend of the family, said of John Edwards. "You climb that many mountains and you go through the deepest valley that two people can possibly go through together — the loss of a child — and that makes for an incredible bond."
Saunders relayed a scene from Monday, told to him by John Edwards, when their youngest child, 10-year-old Jack, came in the room to tell his mother he loved her. She smiled at him and said, "I love you, too, sweetie," Saunders said.
Edwards shared her life struggles in memoirs. In a series of book events starting in 2006, her insights brought women who confided in Edwards about how they dealt with hair loss from treatments or how her words helped them cope with lost children.
In her book "Saving Graces," Edwards talked about collapsing in the aisle of a grocery store after seeing her son's favorite soda — Cherry Coke_ a few months after he died in a car accident at the age of 16. Later, she wrote about how physically grueling the cancer treatments were. This year, she detailed in a new chapter to her second memoir how difficult it was to leave her husband of 30 years after his infidelity.
"In her life, Elizabeth Edwards knew tragedy and pain," President Barack Obama said in a statement. "Many others would have turned inward; many others in the face of such adversity would have given up. But through all that she endured, Elizabeth revealed a kind of fortitude and grace that will long remain a source of inspiration."
On Facebook, an Elizabeth Edwards fan page was inundated with several posts a minute after her death was announced. Many of those offering condolences mentioned their own experiences with cancer, or those of their relatives.
"People identified with her and saw how courageous she was under extemely difficult circumstances," said Barbara Chassin, a 62-year-old cancer survivor from Phoenix, in an interview. "Also, she was fairly realistic about her prognosis, and that's a good thing."
Dr. Linda Vahdat, an oncologist and director of the Breast Cancer Research Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, said Edwards' public discussions about her diagnosis, illness and treatment has helped has helped raise awareness. She said her breast cancer patients were talking about Edwards on Tuesday.
"They're sad," Vahdat said. "People have always been rooting for her."
The Edwardses' son Wade died before John Edwards turned to politics. Two of their three children, Emma Claire and Jack, were born after his death, joining daughter Cate.
Elizabeth Edwards advised her husband during his successful 1998 Senate campaign in North Carolina and his presidential runs in 2004 and 2008. Doctors found a lump on her breast in 2004, in the final days of her husband's vice presidential campaign, and she was later diagnosed. The Democratic John Kerry-John Edwards ticket lost to incumbent President George W. Bush.
After treatments, doctors found her to be cancer-free, but in early 2007, shortly after John Edwards launched a second bid for the White House, the couple learned that her cancer had returned in an incurable form.
"We are not in denial," Edwards wrote in an updated version of her first memoir published in 2007. "I will die much sooner than I want to. I will leave a splendid man and an amazing daughter with yet another funeral to attend when they place me in the ground next to Wade and I will not be able to comfort them. And I will leave two magical children whom I love with all my being too early."
Her husband added to her suffering with an affair with videographer Rielle Hunter that he publicly acknowledged in 2008. Instead of playing a role in the final weeks of the presidential race, which Edwards had quit after poor primary showings, he and Elizabeth retreated almost entirely from public life.
Hunter had a baby that John Edwards insisted was not his until January 2010, when he acknowledged he had fathered the child. A week later, friends revealed that he and Elizabeth had separated.
While Elizabeth Edwards pleaded for privacy, she also wrote a memoir -- her second -- that discussed how the affair repulsed her. She went on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to talk about it, but only on the condition that Winfrey not mention Hunter's name.
Edwards said in interviews that it didn't matter whether her husband had fathered a child with Hunter, saying, "that would be part of John's life." Still, she stood by him.
"Nothing will be quite as I want it, but sometimes we eat the toast that is burned on one side anyway, don't we?" she wrote in the memoir, "Resilience."
With no campaign to focus on, Elizabeth Edwards returned to advocacy work, appearing on her own and often without any mention of her husband to push for universal health care. She often wondered aloud about the plight of those who faced the same of kind of physical struggles she did but without her personal wealth.
"Even at the end of her life to reassure people that she still felt that living a life that was filled with hope and really believing in resilience gave meaning to her life," Jennifer Palmieri, a family friend and national press secretary for John Edwards' 2004 presidential campaign, said Wednesday on CBS' "The Early Show."
Ellen Schoenfeld, a breast cancer survivor in New York, said Edwards "faced her illness with a ton of strength and a lot of hope and faith. She took it on with such grace and dignity."
Schoenfeld said Edward gave other people with cancer "the motivation to live their lives the way they want to live them," she said. "People might think you need to change the way you live when you get a diagnosis like that, but she wanted to maintain a sense of normalcy, for her kids and for herself, too. I think she just wanted to live as normal a life as possible."
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Elizabeth Edwards Dies Of Cancer At 61
Elizabeth Edwards, a best-selling author and the driving force behind husband John Edwards' political career before it was destroyed by his infidelity, has died of cancer. She was 61.
Gravely ill with cancer that no longer responded to treatment, Elizabeth Edwards was reportedly not in any pain and was surrounded at home in North Carolina by family and friends, including her estranged husband, a former Democratic presidential candidate.
Her death came at 10:15 Tuesday morning, according to a family friend. The scene was described as "very peaceful."
The friend said, "Elizabeth did not want people to say she lost her battle with cancer. The battle was about living a good life and that she won."
Family friends provided NBC News with this statement from the Edwards family:
"Elizabeth Anania Edwards, mother, author, advocate, died today at her home in Chapel Hill, surrounded by her family.
"Today we have lost the comfort of Elizabeth's presence but she remains the heart of this family.
"We love her and will never know anyone more inspiring or full of life.
"On behalf of Elizabeth we want to express our gratitude to the thousands of kindred spirits who moved and inspired her along the way. Your support and prayers touched our entire family.
"In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wade Edwards Foundation which benefits the Wade Edwards Learning Lab." The Edwards' son Wade died in a car accident at age 16 in 1996.
When news began to circulate that Elizabeth had taken a turn for the worse and her cancer had spread to her liver, her family announced Monday that her doctors had recommended against any additional treatment.
"She found out last week and is at peace with where she is right now,” PEOPLE magazine’s Sandra Westfall told TODAY co-anchor Matt Lauer Tuesday before Elizabeth passed away. “She has a home full of relatives, which is how she always wanted it. They are telling stories, looking at old photos, and having as many laughs as tears.”
John Edwards, from whom Elizabeth Edwards separated last year after he acknowledged fathering a child with a former aide to his unsuccessful vice presidential campaign, was with his wife and their three children: Cate, 28; Emma Claire, 12; and Jack, 10.
During an appearance on TODAY last year, Elizabeth Edwards said that while it was difficult not to be able to “lean” on the man she once called “my rock,” she thought it was important to not shut him out.
“For the children she’s put on a brave face, and kept that relationship intact. He’s at the house this week, helping with the children, getting takeout for the family that is visiting,” Westfall said.
Agreeing with Lauer that it must be a difficult time for the children, Westfall said Elizabeth Edwards has been preparing them for her death for some time.
“She, years ago, starting writing a ‘dying letter,’ she called it, so she would have the advice to pass on and always be there with a mother's wisdom when she couldn’t be there physically,” Westfall said.
Elizabeth Edwards wrote two best-selling books, "Resilience" and "Saving Graces," about her long battle with cancer and the scandal surrounding her husband.
Reactions from Leaders
The news of Elizabeth Edwards' death brought messages of condolences and sympathy from around the country. In a statement, Vice President Joe Biden said, "Elizabeth Edwards fought a brave battle against a terrible, ravaging disease that takes too many lives every day. She was an inspiration to all who knew her, and to those who felt they knew her."
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was deeply saddened by Edwards' death.
"America has lost a passionate advocate for building a more humane and just society, for reforming our health-care system, and for finding a cure for cancer once and for all," Clinton said in a statement. "But the Edwards family and her legion of friends have lost so much more — a loving mother, constant guardian, and wise counselor.
"Our thoughts are with the Edwards family at this time, and with all those people across the country who met Elizabeth over the years and found an instant friend — someone who shared their experiences and offered empathy, understanding and hope."
North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican who won the Senate seat previously held by John Edwards in 2008, called Elizabeth Edwards "a passionate advocate for issues she believed in" and "a caring and loving mother."
"Her legacy should serve as an inspiration to all of us," Burr said. "Her life was not without tragedy and adversity, yet through it all she fought for her family and faced every challenge with courage, poise and grace."
Long Battle
Elizabeth Edwards was first diagnosed with cancer in 2004, and learned that the cancer had returned in 2007, as her husband John was preparing for his presidential bid.
On her Facebook page, Edwards had earlier posted the following message:
“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."
“With love, Elizabeth.”
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Elizabeth Edwards Stops Cancer Treatment, Releases Statement
Elizabeth Edwards is surrounded by family and friends in her North Carolina home after being informed by her doctors that further cancer treatment would be unproductive.
"Elizabeth has been advised by her doctors that further treatment of her cancer would be unproductive," the Edwards family said Monday in a statement. "She is resting at home with family and friends and has posted this message to friends on her Facebook page."
The message from Edwards, the wife of two-time presidential candidate John Edwards, reads:
"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."
Edwards was told by her doctors last week that additional cancer treatments were futile, said a source close to the family. Her prognosis was described in terms of weeks, not months, the source said.
She is receiving treatment and medications, however, for symptoms and side effects.
"She is not in pain, Elizabeth is in good spirits," said the source. "She has prepared for this"
John Edwards and their children are at her side, along with Elizabeth's brother and sister.
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Sources: AP, CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, Oprah, WCNC, Youtube, Google Maps
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