Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards was an author, attorney, and the wife of former 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards.http://www.biography.com/articles/Elizabeth-Edwards-442558?part=0 The two met during law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and married in 1977.http://www.biography.com/articles/Elizabeth-Edwards-442558?part=0

Elizabeth Edwards authored two books, Resillience and Saving Graces. In Saving Graces, she talked about the people that had shaped her life, while in her book Resilience she discussed the loss of her oldest son, her battle with breast cancer, and her husband's infidelity.http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780767925372&view=rghttp://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/la-et-book8-2009may08,0,659766.story After her son was killed in an automobile accident in 1996, she quit practicing law to manage the Wade Edwards Foundation, helping young people pursue their education.http://www.biography.com/articles/Elizabeth-Edwards-442558?part=0

Elizabeth was born Mary Elizabeth Anania in Jacksonville, Florida and grew up the daughter of a Navy pilot.http://www.biography.com/articles/Elizabeth-Edwards-442558?part=0 After majoring in English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she went on to graduate from the university's law school in 1977.http://www.biography.com/articles/Elizabeth-Edwards-442558?part=0

Elizabeth Edwards died on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at the age of 61. She had been battling cancer since 2004, and her death came just one day after it was publicly announced that the cancer had spread to her liver.http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/Elizabeth-Edwards-dead-at-61-after-cancer-battle/7830217

Edwards' funeral was held on December 11, 2010 in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was held in the same church where her son Wade's funeral was in 1996. Edwards was buried next to her son. Edwards' oldest daughter, Cate, delivered the eulogy. Part of the eulogy was from a letter that Edwards had written for her children to read after her death. John Edwards attended the funeral but did not speak. He sat with the three surviving children.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40618526/ns/us_news-life/

Five anti-gay protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church - two of them children - picketed the funeral, holding anti-gay banners and signs against Edwards and the United Methodist Church where the funeral was held. The church members were thwarted by a Facebook group that called itself "Protect Elizabeth Edwards’ funeral from Westboro clan." About 300 members were able to provide a buffer against the Westboro group. They countered the signs of the church group by wearing pink ribbons, singing Christmas carols and carrying signs and banners containing messages of love and hope. The Westboro Baptist Church is the same group which has picketed the funerals of soldiers. The Westboro group stated they were picketing Edwards' funera because of her 2007 statements regarding her support for gay marriage.http://chattahbox.com/us/2010/12/12/elizabeth-edwards-funeral-line-of-love-wins-over-anti-gay-hate/

Elizabeth Edwards worked for a short time as a clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Calvitt Clarke, Jr. in Norfolk, Virginia, and in 1978 became an associate at Harwell Barr Martin & Sloan in Nashville, TN. In 1981, she moved to North Carolina where she worked for the Attorney General's office and then Merriman, Nicholls, and Crampton as a bankruptcy lawyer. She also taught legal writing and served as a substitute teacher. In 2004, Edwards accompanied her husband on his campaign, and was soon diagnosed with breast cancer.http://www.biography.com/articles/Elizabeth-Edwards-442558?part=1

Edwards released her book Resilience in May 2009.http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1895709,00.html In the book, Edwards described the emotional effect of her husband's affair with Rielle Hunter, which made headlines during the 2008 campaign season. In the book, Edwards says upon finding out about her husband's affair, she "went to the bathroom and threw up", adding that Hunter was "pathetic."http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/04/30/elizabeth-edwards-johns-affair-throw/

The affair, between John Edwards and Rielle Hunter was first reported in October of 2007 by the National Enquirer. While initially denying the allegations, John Edwards came forward to admit the affair in August of 2008.http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5441195&page=1 Edwards reportedly admitted to his wife in March of 2009 that he fathered Hunter's child after denying it for months.http://www.nationalenquirer.com/john_edwards_confesses_its_my_baby_rielle_hunter_elizabeth_edwards_disgrace_mistress_lovechild_nighline_presidential_elections/celebrity/66289

In November of 2004, Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was treated and in November of 2006 told by her doctor, Lisa Carey, that her cancer was in remission. On March 22, 2007, it was announced at a press conference that her cancer had returned. Dr. Carey said that the cancer had spread to the bones, and although not curable, it was treatable.Johnedwards.com: JohnEdwards.com On December 6, 2010 Elizabeth Edwards announced that she was discontinuing her cancer treatments after doctors told her further treatments would be unproductive.http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=151414&catid=57 New areas of cancer had been found on both her liver and on the same side that she had her mastectomy.http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=151414&catid=57

• Amazon.com Books: Saving Graces