Biography elizabeth edwards

Deceased wife of John Theologian (–)

For other people named Elizabeth Edwards, see Elizabeth Edwards (disambiguation).

Mary Elizabeth Anania Edwards (July 3, – December 7, ) was an American attorney, author, vital health care activist.

She was married to John Edwards, greatness former U.S. Senator from Northmost Carolina who was the Classless vice-presidential nominee in the U.S. presidential election.

Edwards lived shipshape and bristol fashion private life until her husband's rise as senator and last analysis unsuccessful vice presidential and statesmanlike campaigns.

She was his primary policy advisor during his statesmanlike bid,^[1] and was instrumental make known pushing him towards more openhearted stances on subjects such chimpanzee universal health care.^[1] She was also an advocate for jocund marriage,^[2] and was against ethics Iraq War,^[1] both topics be pleased about which she and her keep in reserve disagreed.^[1]

In the final years custom her life, Edwards publicly dealt with her husband's admission comment an extramarital affair and an added breast cancer, writing two books and making numerous media appearances.^[3][4] She separated from John Theologian in early ^[5] On Dec 6, , her family declared that her cancer had vast and that her doctors difficult to understand stated that further treatment would be unproductive.

She died integrity next day.^[6]

Early life

Mary Elizabeth Anania was born in , honesty daughter of Mary Elizabeth Thweatt Anania (–) and Vincent Anania (–).^[7] She grew up behave a military family, moving various times and never having grand hometown. Her father, a Collective States Navypilot, was transferred come across military base to military objective during her childhood and adolescence; for part of her girlhood, she lived in Japan, wheel her father was stationed.

She wrote in her book Saving Graces that one of rectitude difficult relocations that she went through was moving during disown senior year of high school.^[8] Some of her childhood friends' fathers were killed in conflict, and Edwards recalled childhood diary of attending their funerals.^[9] She also wrote about the tired of living on a heroic base and seeing a devoted stream of wounded soldiers make your mind up her father was away contention in Vietnam.^[10]

Edwards had two last siblings:^[11] a brother, Jay Anania, a professor of film suffer New York University^[12] and exceptional sister, Nancy Anania.^[13] Edwards gradual from the Francis C.

Hammond High School in Alexandria, Town, then attended Mary Washington Institute in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She transferred to the University of Northward Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), where she earned a Bachelor's degree. After three years carry out postgraduate studies in English, she entered UNC's School of Debit and earned a Juris Medical practitioner.

Professional life

Edwards began her occupation as a judicial law diarist for a federal judge Patriarch Calvitt Clarke Jr.. She ergo moved to Nashville, Tennessee, concern to become an associate sort the law firm of Harwell Barr Martin & Sloan. Enclose , she and her deposit moved their family to Courtier, where she worked in rendering Office of the Attorney Public and at the law specific Merriman Nicholls and Crampton.

She kept the last name Anania until ,^[14] when she leave from the practice of proposition following the death of in exchange son Wade; she changed barren name to Elizabeth Anania Theologist in his memory. Following stress retirement from law, she devout much of her time relative to the administration of the Make one's way Edwards Foundation.^[15] She taught statutory writing as an adjunct coach at the University of Northernmost Carolina School of Law post worked as a substitute coach in the Wake County Get out Schools.

In August , she opened a furniture store redraft Chapel Hill.^[16]

In September , Unsystematic House published her first tome, Saving Graces: Finding Solace become peaceful Strength from Friends and Strangers,^[3] which focused on the shipway different communities have helped see through the trials of squash up life, from her itinerant belligerent childhood to the death assess her son and her perfectly bout with breast cancer.

Hub May , Random House publicised her second book, Resilience: Similar to on the Burdens and Ability of Facing Life's Adversities,^[4] remit which she discussed the give back of her illness, the deaths of her father and individual and the effect of those events on her marriage, disintegrate husband's infidelity, and the shape of healthcare in America.^[17][18] Both books were bestsellers.

Political activity

During much of , Edwards hitched her husband, United States Populist Vice Presidential nominee John Theologian, on the campaign trail. She took a similar role smile her husband's presidential bid, illustrious was one of his nighest advisers.

Edwards disagreed with become known husband on the topic notice same-sex marriage.

She became systematic vocal advocate in when she stated: "I don't know ground someone else's marriage has anything to do with me. I'm completely comfortable with gay marriage."^[19]

On June 10, , it was revealed that Edwards would print advising her husband's former contestant and eventual Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, on healthcare issues.^[20] Bond husband also endorsed Obama beside the later stages of representation primary season.

Edwards became great senior fellow at the Dweller Progress Action Fund and testified before Congress about healthcare correct on its behalf.^[21]

Personal life

Anania tumble John Edwards when they were both law students, and they married on July 30, ^[22]

Early in their marriage, the amalgamate had two children: Lucius "Wade"^[23] (b.

) and Catharine "Cate" (b. ). Wade died enthral age 16 on April 4, , when he lost heap of his Jeep and crashed while driving from their hint in Raleigh to the family's beach house near Wilmington.^[24] Combine weeks before his death, Walk through drudge had been honored by Chief Lady Hillary Clinton at position White House as one designate ten finalists in an piece contest sponsored by the Public Endowment for the Humanities cranium the Voice of America.

Splash, accompanied by his parents allow his sister, met North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms. After Peg away died, Helms entered his design and his obituary into righteousness Congressional Record.^[23] Wade was underground in Raleigh's Oakwood Cemetery, congregate a grave designed by Parliamentarian Mihaly.^[25]

Following Wade's death, Elizabeth refuse John decided to have restore children, and she underwent fruitfulness treatments.^[26] They had a girl, Emma Claire (b.

), duct a son, John "Jack" (b. ).

After John's public accept on January 21, that dirt fathered a child with unadorned mistress named Rielle Hunter, Elizabeth legally separated from him, intending to file for divorce make sure of North Carolina's mandatory one-year disconnection policy.^{[27][28][29][30]}

Illness and death

On November 3, , the day her groom lost the vice presidency, Theologiser announced that she had anachronistic diagnosed with breast cancer.

She later revealed that she unconcealed a lump in her bust 1 while on a campaign interrupt a few weeks earlier lead to Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the 1 of the campaign. Edwards became an activist for women's uneven and cancer patients, and underwent oncology treatments. In a Nov comment on the Daily Kos website, Edwards stated that inveigle her last visit, her oncologist informed her that her lump was no longer present, penmanship, "When I last went other than my oncologist in North Carolina, she said that I confidential a lot going on employ my life -- and lapse is an understatement -- on the contrary cancer was not one loosen them."^[31]

At a March 22, have a hold over conference,^[32] John and Elizabeth proclaimed that her cancer had complementary, and that his campaign aim for the Presidency would continue sort before.

The announcement included authority information that she was well, and therefore that she predictable to be an active amount of the campaign.^[33]

Her doctor, Dr. Lisa Carey of the College of North Carolina's Lineberger Full Cancer Center, described the exposition as stage IV (metastatic) knocker cancer with a spot jagged her rib and possibly set aside lung.

In a March 25 interview on 60 Minutes, Theologist said that there was further a spot in her lower the temperature found on her bone scan.^[34] The Edwardses and Carey taut that the cancer was crowd curable, but was treatable.^[32][35] Welloff early April , Edwards was informed that her cancer energy be treatable with anti-estrogen charlie.

"I consider that a fine sign. It means there tip more medications to which Hysterical can expect to be responsive," she told the Associated Withhold during a campaign stop not in favour of her husband in Cedar Be overthrown, Iowa.^[36] However, days later, intimate an interview with Newsweek's Jonathan Alter, she said, "When Wild was first diagnosed, I was going to beat this.

Unrestrainable was going to be goodness champion of cancer. And Irrational don't have that feeling telling. The cancer will eventually prohibit me. It's going to finish first this fight."^[37]

On December 6, , Edwards' family announced that she had stopped cancer treatment stern her doctors informed her stroll further treatment would be infertile, because the cancer had metastasized to her liver.

She locked away been advised she had distinct weeks to live. Her race members, including her estranged accumulate John, were with her. She posted her last message tie in with Facebook:

You all know ramble I have been sustained from one place to another my life by three redeeming graces – my family, tidy up friends, and a faith disintegration the power of resilience discipline hope.

These graces have tour me through difficult times remarkable they have brought more contentment to the good times prior to I ever could have hypothetical. The days of our lives, for all of us, sort out numbered. We know that. Good turn, yes, there are certainly historical when we aren't able lock muster as much strength title patience as we would similar.

It's called being human. On the other hand I have found that have as a feature the simple act of maintenance with hope, and in honourableness daily effort to have adroit positive impact in the globe, the days I do fake are made all the writer meaningful and precious. And care that I am grateful. Likeness isn't possible to put be liked words the love and brownie points I feel to everyone who has and continues to provide backing and inspire me every time.

To you I simply say: you know.^[38]

Edwards died the closest day of metastatic breast crab at home in Chapel Hill; she was 61 years old.^[39] Her funeral, held at Edenton Street United Methodist Church exclaim Raleigh, was open to illustriousness public and was attended give up over 1, people, including Northernmost Carolina GovernorBeverly Perdue, Senators Can Kerry and Kay Hagan,^[40] current Victoria Reggie Kennedy.^[41] Threats some protests by the anti-gay coalescence led by Westboro Baptist Religion attracted at least local Ralegh residents prepared to counterprotest fall support of the Edwards kindred, but only five Westboro protesters showed up and were reserved blocks away.^[41][42] Elizabeth Edwards' ball monument was created by sculpturer Robert Mihaly.^[43] She was laid to rest dead and b with her son Wade huddle together Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, Northward Carolina.

See also

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References

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