Goodbye Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards, the beleaguered wife of former Senator John Edwards has died of cancer today in North Carolina at the age of 61. She has been dealing with recurring cancer which started with breast cancer in 2004. She has not only had to endure chemo, radiation and chronic illness and the heartbreak of losing her 16 year old son, Wade in a car accident in 1996, but also her idiot husband's very public and very humiliating infidelity.

But Elizabeth was not one to wallow in self pity or engage in spiteful retribution. She bore all in quiet dignity, working diligently on projects she was passionate about. She was an attorney and acted as an advisor on her husband’s campaigns.

She also became an advisor to Barack Obama on healthcare issues. She was an outspoken advocate for healthcare reform and worried about women with cancer that did not have the monetary resources she did.

She was a supporter of gay marriage, “I don't know why someone else’s marriage has anything to do with me. I'm completely comfortable with gay marriage."

She wrote several popular inspirational books that detailed her life, her losses and her illness. She legally separated from John Edwards in January, intending to divorce him after the mandatory one year separation. She ran out of time.

Her last facebook 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.”

I always thought the wrong Edwards ran for office and that Elizabeth Edwards would have been much better at it. I would have voted for her.

She died as she lived, surrounded by friends and family giving and receiving support and inspiration.
She did not want to be remembered as having battled cancer and lost but rather as having lived well every day. And that she did.