John Edwards canceled a trip to Iowa on Wednesday to accompany his wife to a follow-up appointment with the physician who treated her for breast cancer after she was diagnosed the same week that Senators Edwards and Kerry lost the 2004 presidential bid to unseat Bush and Cheney.
The Edwards' will hold a press conference on Thursday to make an announcement about her health and the future of the Edwards campaign.
From the March 22 New York Times;
After the campaign announced its intention to hold a press conference on Thursday in North Carolina, concern quickly among former and current aides to the Edwards family. One close family friend reached Wednesday evening declined to comment on the announcement, but said it would affect at least temporarily the future of the campaign.
Other supporters and friends contacted said they were unaware of the scope of the announcement. A leading contributor to the campaign, speaking on condition of anonymity, said organizers had not been notified to cancel a long string of events scheduled before the end of March, the deadline for the first-quarter financial reports.
Mrs. Edwards, 57, has been one of her husband’s closest confidantes in both of his presidential campaigns. A former bankruptcy lawyer, who often spends hours a day on the Internet, she is among the campaign’s chief advisers.
Through her book, “Saving Graces,” she wrote about the loss she felt after their son, Wade, was killed in a car accident in 1996. At age 48 and 50 she had two more children, saying it was the only way to bring joy back into their home for her, her husband and their daughter, Cate.
During the 2004 presidential race, Mrs. Edwards became a fixture on the campaign trail, in the primary race and the general election. She often would be dispatched to blue-collar settings, hardly stereotypical audiences for a political spouse. Her military upbringing, she once said, made her perfectly suited for a life on the road — she would travel anywhere and talk to anyone.
I have always found Elizabeth Edwards a charming and engaging person, and not just because of that shared "Brat" thing. I am keeping her in my thoughts as I retire for the night, and at this moment, I regret checking the morning papers before turning in.
Good luck, Elizabeth. I've got your back.
