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 John and Elizabeth Edwards at the 27th Annual kennedy Center Honors Gala, December 5, 2004 Photo: Evan Agostini / Getty Images More on Elizabeth Edwards and Breast CancerFighting Breast Cancer TogetherBreast Cancer InfoElizabeth Edwards Profile More on John and Elizabeth EdwardsOfficial John and Elzabeth Edwards Web SitesJohn and Elizabeth Edwards Marriage ProfileNews Updates: 3/25/07: Elizabeth Edwards, “I expect to live a long time. I expect us to have lots and lots of years together. I do believe that. But if that’s not the case, I don’t want my legacy to be that I pulled somebody who ought to be president out of the race. It’s not fair to me, in a sense ... My feeling is, if we gave up what we have committed to as our life’s work, wouldn’t I be getting ready to die? That’s what I’d be doing. This cause is not just John’s cause, it’s my cause.” Source: Jennifer Steinhauer, NYTimes.com, "Facing a New Battle, Mrs. Edwards Set Campaign's Fate", March 25, 2007. 3/22/07: John and Elizabeth announced that her breast cancer had returned. They agreed that he would continue his campaign for President of the U.S., but John also said, "Any time, any place I need to be with Elizabeth, I will be there." Source: Breastcancer.about.com 12/28/06: John Edwards announced his candidacy for president of the United States. How Elizabeth and John Met: John and Elizabeth met as law students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Glenn Bergenfield claims he introduced them to one another. Their first date, dancing at the Holiday Inn on U.S. 15-501, ended with John kissing Elizabeth on the forehead. She says of that kiss, "It was just really sweet. I wasn't used to men being sweet." Wedding Date:July 30, 1977, in a small country church near Chapel Hill. Her floor length gown had cap sleeves. John wore a gray tux.Their reception was at the Carolina Inn. They had a two-day honeymoon in Williamsburg, Virginia. John and Elizabeth renewed their wedding vows on their 30th wedding anniversary. Born:John Reid Edwards, June 10, 1953, in Seneca, South Carolina. He grew up in the town of Robbins, North Carolina.Mary Elizabeth Anania, July 3, 1949, in Jacksonville, Florida.
Previous Marriages:None.Residence:Raleigh, North Carolina; beach home, Wilmington, N.C.; Georgetown, Washington, D.C. which is being sold.In July, 2005, John and Elizabeth will move to rural Orange County in North Carolina, near Chapel Hill, where they purchased 100 acres earlier in 2004 and are building a home. Children:
Elizabeth underwent fertility treatment to begin their second family. Elizabeth's Battle With Breast Cancer:On November 3, 2004, the day that her husband and John Kerry conceded the presidential race, Elizabeth Edwards revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She discovered a lump in her right breast the last week of the campaign. An Associated Press report stated that the cancer is the most common type of breast cancer, and that the the family "believes this is beatable."At Georgetown University Hospital, Elizabeth Edwards underwent a 16-week period of chemotherapy. She lost quite a bit of her hair and wore a wig so that her children wouldn't see her as being sick. 3/14/2005: Elizabeth had a lump removed from her breast. After the surgery, Elizabeth received six weeks of radiation treatment. 2/27/06: John said, "The good news is that Elizabeth's doing great. She's doing very, very well. She finished her breast cancer treatment last summer, in June, and we had a bunch of tests done just before Christmas. And she's doing terrific." 3/22/07: In a joint announcement, Elizabeth and John announced that her cancer had returned. Miscellaneous Information: In memory of their son Wade, the Edwards created an education foundation that offers college scholarships, along with the establishment of the Wade Edwards Learning Lab in Raleigh, North Carolina. The lab offers after-school access to computers and technology tutoring for students. John likes to run daily and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in 1995 with son Wade. Elizabeth admits to hiding her gray hair with dye, and openly talks about her struggles with her weight. Although Senator Edwards did not speak of their son Wade during campaign speeches, he always wore Wade's Outward Bound pin on his left suit lapel, over his heart. Elizabeth kept her last name until the late 1990s. Elizabeth is still wearing the $11 wedding ring that John gave her on their wedding day. They celebrate their wedding anniversary every year by eating at Wendy's. It was the way they spent their first anniversary. Occupations:
Senator Edwards was a trial lawyer from 1977 - 1998. He was elected as a U.S. Senator in 1998; the Democratic party's 2004 nominee for Vice President. He left his office as Senator in January, 2005. In February, 2005, John accepted a $40,000 teaching position at the law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. currently a candidate for President in 2008.
Elizabeth's professional career includes work for the North Carolina Attorney General's office, a Raleigh law firm, and as an adjunct instructor at UNC Law School teaching legal writing. She is currently involved in fundraising for the March of Dimes, sits on the UNC Board of Visitors, Books for Kids, and is active in the Wade Edwards foundation. She has also volunteered her time and talents with her children's youth soccer leagues, the Parent Teacher Associations at her children's schools, and with Goodwill Industries. She is the author of a memoir, Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength From Friends and Strangers
Religion:John, Methodist.Elizabeth, Methodist.
Quotes About Their Marriage and Family:Elizabeth on raising children, 3/25/07: “I think the best thing you can give your children is wings,” Mrs. Edwards said, to teach them to “stand by themselves in a stiff wind.”Source: Jennifer Steinhauer, NYTimes.com, "Facing a New Battle, Mrs. Edwards Set Campaign's Fate", March 25, 2007.
Elizabeth, 9/29/06: "John was always there by my side. I cannot say enough about what a great husband he has been through all of this. John and I are so completely connected. There is nothing closer than where we are now." John, about Elizabeth's diagnosis of breast cancer, 2004: “Elizabeth is as strong a person as I’ve ever known. Together, our family will beat this.” Elizabeth, about their son Wade: "There are times when we think about Wade, a sort of, `Gosh, he would have enjoyed this.' Part of the reality of losing a child is that you never know when it's going to hit you." Bonnie Weyher, longtime friend: "He (John) has always had a profound respect for her (Elizabeth's) opinions on things." Glenn Bergenfield, longtime friend: "They speak in an intimate, private manner every day."
Elizabeth about the apple green bridesmaids dresses: "A very obnoxious color, made of a kind of fabric that comes out of the washing machine dry." More on Elizabeth Edwards and Breast CancerFighting Breast Cancer TogetherBreast Cancer InfoElizabeth Edwards Profile More on John and Elizabeth EdwardsOfficial John and Elzabeth Edwards Web Sites |
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