Steven Niles - Courage and Grace: The Life and Death of Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards story is both remarkable and heartbreaking. Edwards was an intelligent and self-possessed woman who was a devoted mother and a loyal political partner to her husband, John Edwards. Elizabeth Edwards lived her life in the spotlight, and when her husband ran for the Democratic nomination for President, she became an important part of his campaign. When she announced that she had breast cancer, the nation responded with sympathy, regardless of their political affiliations. During her illness, Elizabeth Edwards was seen as a strong woman who courageous battled a terrible disease.

During the most vulnerable period of Edwards life, as she was undergoing chemotherapy, a shocking revelation derailed her husband's political campaign and thrust her into a media spotlight. When it was revealed that John Edwards was carrying on a sexual affair with another woman, Elizabeth Edwards was devastated. During this harrowing personal time, she had the courage to share her feelings with the rest of the world by writing a book about the experience. Elizabeth Edwards won the respect of many people with her honesty in the face of great personal pain.

Elizabeth Edwards was born Mary Elizabeth Anania on July 3, 1949. She spent her early childhood in Japan, where her father was a pilot in the Navy. Her father was stationed in Japan as part of a Navel reconnaissance squadron. Her mother was the glue that held the family together. The family moved frequently, due to her father, Vince Anania's career. Elizabeth Edwards later said that her parents, Vince and Elizabeth Anania had very different personalities, but were a very stable couple. As an adult, Elizabeth Edwards remembered that, "Her mother, who is now in her late 80s, was proper, patient and competitive. She was the type to correct her children's grammar and teach them manners. She balanced her impish husband."

Elizabeth Edwards completed her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored in English. Initially, she decided to study American literature in graduate school, but she ultimately switched her focus to law and attended University of North Carolina Law School. During her time at UNC Law School, Elizabeth Edwards met her future husband, John Edwards. John was a handsome and promising young man from a humble background, and Elizabeth fell in love with him immediately.The couple began to date while they were both students, and they married shortly after their graduation, on July 30, 1977.

Career

After graduating from UNC, Elizabeth Edwards became a clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Calvitt Clarke, Jr. in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1978, the young family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where Elizabeth Edwards became an associate lawyer at the law firm of Harwell, Barr, Martin, and Sloan. In 1981, the family moved once more to Raleigh, North Carolina. In Raleigh, Elizabeth Edwards worked for the Attorney General's office at first, where she did work for the Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, as well as the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act. Next, she worked as a bankruptcy lawyer for the firm Merriman, Nicholls, and Crampton.

In addition to her career as a lawyer, Elizabeth Edwards taught legal classes as an adjunct professor at UNC Law School in the 1990s. While at the school, she became a member of the first group of Public Fellows at the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina. She also gave back to her community by becoming a substitute teacher in the local public school district.

According to her biography at the Women's Conference , "Mrs. Edwards [was] committed to serving the community and expanding educational opportunities for all children. She volunteered with the Parent Teacher Associations at her children's schools, and has been active in their youth soccer leagues in several roles. Additionally, she volunteered at Goodwill Industries, working in the book room of their thrift store." Elizabeth Edwards charity work was quite impressive; she even established a scholarship in her father's name, the Vincent J. Anania Lacrosse Scholarship.

Marriage and Family Life

When John and Elizabeth Edwards married in 1977, they were both young and at the beginning of their legal careers. John Edwards was the son of a textile mill worker, and was the first person in his family to attend college. Initially, the couple did not have any money and lived in very humble circumstances. John and Elizabeth Edwards famously had their wedding dinner at a Wendy's fast food restaurant, where they continued to eat on their wedding anniversaries to commemorate the event.

In 1979, Elizabeth Edwards gave birth to the couple's first son, Wade. She had their first daughter, Cate in 1982. Elizabeth Edwards balanced her legal career with her responsibilities as a mother. During this period, John Edwards began to receive national attention for his work as an attorney. In 1984, John Edwards won a large medical malpractice suit, and his client received $3.7 million dollars in compensation. In 1985, he won another large case that was previously thought to be unwinnable, in a case where a child was struck with cerebral palsy. The doctor who performed the delivery chose not to perform a Cesarian section, a procedure that would have prevented the child's disability. In this case, John Edwards won a $4.25 million dollar settlement for his client.

As a result of his legal work, the Edwards family became more financially comfortable than they had been at the outset of the marriage. John Edwards also attracted national attention for his high-profile cases. In 1998, he won election to the U.S. Senate and began his political career.

In 1996, tragedy struck the Edwards family when their son Wade was killed in an automobile accident. While driving on Interstate 40, between Raleigh and the North Carolina coast, Wade Edwards car was swept off of the road by strong winds. The accident devastated both John and Elizabeth Edwards, and changed the course of both of their lives. John Edwards reported later that the tragedy inspired him to get into politics, in order to try to affect a positive change in the world. Elizabeth Edwards changed both her career and her family life as a result of her son's premature death. She decided to end her legal career and concentrate on her children. Elizabeth Edwards also chose to support her husband's burgeoning political aspirations.

In their interview with Elizabeth Edwards, The Progressive reported that after Wade Edward's death, "she and her husband established the Wade Edwards Foundation, built a free computer lab for high school students in Raleigh, and set up a scholarship program in his name." When the Edwards established the Wade Edwards Foundation, Elizabeth Edwards devoted herself full-time to the administration of the foundation. The Wade Edwards Foundation was designed to help and inspire children in their educational endeavors.

During this difficult time for the family, Elizabeth Edwards came to the conclusion that she wanted to have more children, and she began fertility treatments in order to get pregnant again. In 1998, the same year her husband was elected to the U.S. Senate, Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter named Emma Claire. In 2000, Elizabeth Edwards gave birth to a son named Jack. Her legal career behind her, Elizabeth Edwards devoted herself to motherhood full-time. She also began to help her husband in his political ambitions.

John Edwards' Vice-Presidential Run

On July 6 2004, Senator John Kerry selected John Edwards as his presidential running mate. John Edwards had strong populist support in the Democratic party at the time due to his focus on "two Americas." Edwards' political platform was founded on issues such as poverty and the economy. Elizabeth Edwards campaigned heavily for her husband and was generally considered an asset to his team. Voters considered Elizabeth Edwards to be a great female role model because she was smart, capable and funny.