Presidential Hopeful John Edwards Decides the Best Cure is to Keep Running

John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth are continuing their efforts to win the Democratic bid for president in spite of Mrs. Edwards recurrence of cancer. The announcement by Mr. and Mrs. Edwards was made in the garden of a hotel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This was the site of their wedding reception some 30 years ago. Following the announcement of their intentions to continue their political campaign they were given a resounding welcome at a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to an exclusive interview aired on This Week on March 25, 2007, Dr. Eric Winer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston all patients react differently to treatment and the survival rate of patients is varied. He states cancer is a "family of diseases," and big advances have been made in identifying the members of the family over the past 10 years. The survival rate of patients ranges from a small number lasting only months to patients living longer than five years. Cancer research is an evolving science and patient survival is dependent on the individual and funding is a key.

Elizabeth has been undergoing treatment and follow ups for breast cancer since the end of the 2004 campaign. Her reports to date have been favorable for a very common form of breast cancer. Hospital tests recently indicated the cancer has moved to the right rib area. This type of cancer is treatable, but is not curable. The cancer is treated with medication and constant surveillance by the medical team headed by her physician.

Mrs. Edwards does not see her activities changing significantly while she undergoes treatment. Her suspicions that something was awry came about due to pain on the right side which turned out to be a cracked rib. The results of extensive tests revealed the localized tumor in the right rib area. The news is not good, but it is quite possible for Mrs. Edwards to lead a relatively normal life if the cancer stays localized. Senator Hillary Clinton, also running for the presidential bid by the Democratic party sent encouraging words to the Edwards and said, "she looked forward to seeing them on the campaign trail."

Elizabeth and John Edwards Facing Life's Challenges

Credit: AP

Copyright: AP