‘She's the strongest person I have ever seen’

In his speech at the Democratic National Convention, John Edwards paid tribute to his wife ... the woman steadfastly by his side throughout the campaign. In the final, frenetic days of the presidential campaign, they would rely on that love and the strength of their 27-year marriage as they faced a new battle ahead. It was during the last two weeks of the campaign that Elizabeth noticed a lump in one of her breasts. She didn't immediately tell her husband, but after an alarming mammogram and ultrasound she couldn't keep her secret any longer.

In part two of an exclusive conversation with Elizabeth and John Edwards, “Today” host Katie Couric talks to the senator and his wife at their home in Washington, D.C., about what it was like to face both a grueling presidential campaign and a frightening breast cancer diagnosis.

Katie Couric: Tell me what it was like when you were on the phone with Elizabeth, and she told you what was going on with her.

John Edwards: Oh, it was bad. She first told me, and she usually does, in a very low-key way, you know, “Don't worry about this. This is going to be OK. But I knew immediately, just from the tone of her voice; we know each other very well. I knew from the tone of her voice how serious it was.

Couric: What did she say to you?

Edwards: She said, "We found a lump in my breast. I've been to see the doctor, and the doctor says, after looking at the mammography, that it looks like it could be serious, and you should talk to him."

Couric: When you…

Edwards: And so I did. I was — but immediately I was worried about her, worried about my children. Worried about our family, and wanting to know what the facts were — very emotional.

Couric: The timing of this was really rough wasn't it?

Edwards: The timing was not good. It was not good. 

Couric: November 3rd was a tough day on…

Edwards: Oh yeah.

Couric: …on many fronts. You lost the election, and then you go to Massachusetts General, where your wife's cancer diagnosis is confirmed.

Edwards: It was a hard day — our focus was entirely on Elizabeth and trying to make sure she was OK, and she was going to get well. 

Couric: Was that true in the final days of the campaign as well?

Edwards: Oh, yeah. Anybody who knew me well, and who was around, would have seen the difference. I mean I was completely preoccupied with her, and how she was going to be — also our kids. You know, we've got Kate, just 22, and Emma Claire, who's 6, and Jack, who's 4. They need us and we have to be there for them. So, for all those reasons, I was focused on Elizabeth.

Couric: You got a lot of support from Senator and Mrs. Kerry.

Elizabeth Edwards: We did. They have both been really terrific. John called, John Kerry, as soon as he knew, and [I] told him also that I was going to keep campaigning. John Kerry called me every day, which I thought was a real testament to the kind of fellow that he is.

Couric: How disappointing was it to both of you that the election turned out the way it did: So many months of grueling campaigning, so much heart and soul poured into the effort, and then to have it not work out.

John Edwards: Well you know it's an odd thing. I think, because of what we were, what Elizabeth was going through, and what we were going through with her, there was a lot of focus on that.  Then, when it wasn't on that, it was on all those people that we had seen around the country, the thousands and thousands of people who had said, “You know, you're our hope. You're what we need. We are dependent on you.” And the feeling was, did we do everything we could do for them?

Couric: When you look back at the election, and how it turned out, certainly there's been lots of analysis in terms of what happened.  What do you think happened?  Why do you all think you lost?

Edwards: I think it was a very close election.  It's a very, very closely divided country, politically, and I think the key for us, as opposed to looking back, is to be looking forward. We need leadership that will move the country forward and unite Americans again and, at least from my perspective, once we take care of the business that we have right now, that's what is most important. That's something both of us intend to work on.

While John Edwards will no longer be working in the Senate — he gave up his seat — but he does plan to stay active in the public arena.

Couric: Do you think President Bush has a mandate, and what exactly is a mandate in your opinion, because we have certainly heard that word a lot since the election?

Edwards: No. I don't think he has a mandate.

Couric: He thinks he does.

Edwards: Well, he is wrong. He does not, and if you look at the election results, it was close — by any reasonable measure, it was a close election, and no, he does not have a mandate. We can only hope, although I have not seen any evidence of it yet, that he will recognize that there is a division [in this country] and a lot of important work to be done.

Elizabeth Edwards: If Senator Kerry had won, he would have had exactly the same responsibility to pull this country together — not to say "My way or the highway," basically — instead of using this election as an excuse for not doing that.

With this election now behind them, the Edwards are planning a June move back to their home state of North Carolina. But foremost in both their minds is getting Elizabeth through her ongoing chemotherapy, surgery and radiation treatments. 

Couric: You have marveled at your wife's strength, I know.

John Edwards: Oh yeah.

Couric: And you have said wonderful things about her, before this as well — every opportunity you get, which is really nice. Under these circumstances, how has your love and respect for her grown?

Edwards: Well, I couldn't love her more than I do. I mean we've been married for 27 years — we've been through a lot together, and we are connected at the breastbone. 

Elizabeth Edwards: You might not want to use that anymore. [Laughter]

John Edwards: You're right. I may have to find another way of saying it, thank you. I've been with her, basically, nonstop since, and certainly since the campaign was over, the last few days of the campaign, talking to her constantly. I've not seen any whimper, anything.  It's all, "What's happening to my children? What's happening to my family? We're going to beat this.  I'm going to be around longer than you."  I mean she's just absolutely amazing. She's the strongest person I have ever seen. 

If you'd like to contact Elizabeth Edwards, you can e-mail her at:

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