Why John Edwards Stays in the Race

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Yesterday the world learned that Elizabeth Edwards’ cancer has returned. What started in late 2004 as breast cancer and then went into remission, has come back, this time as cancer in the ribcage. The condition is treatable but not curable. Put simply, this means that, barring a miracle or some unforeseen accident or a new medical breakthrough, Elizabeth Edwards will die of cancer. She is terminal though she is not in the terminal stages of this horrible disease.It happened that Marlene and I were on the road all day yesterday driving from Tupelo to Chicago, which meant we had a lot of time to listen to the radio. I was surprised to hear many people criticizing John Edwards for his decision to stay in the presidential race. We listened to Rush Limbaugh (who refused to criticize the decision) discuss the matter with his callers. As we approached Chicago, a local talk radio program took more calls, most of them critical of the decision on medical, emotional or psychological grounds (bad for her condition, bad for their young children, bad example for the nation, bad for their marriage) or more generally critical of John Edwards for his political views. They just don’t like John Edwards so they don’t like his decision, which seems self-serving and narcissistic (How can he run for the White House when his wife needs him by her side?).So many angles of this deserve careful exploration. For one thing, cancer is not just one thing. It has a mind of its own, takes its own course, treating one person this way and another person that way. Two friends can contract colon cancer. One lives, the other dies. Most people die quickly from pancreatic cancer, but a tiny few survive. I heard a cancer doctor say recently, "Lung cancer is a tough one." When I asked him about the current state of cancer research, he took his hand, laid it on the table, and spread his fingers out to show that cancer treatments move in all directions at once. Cancer isn’t just one thing, treatments vary, and no one can say with certainty how someone will respond. Obviously the doctors think they can manage Elizabeth Edwards’ cancer for the time being. That being the case, what else can the Edwards do but keep on going?Will things change eventually? Yes, because life always changes. With or without cancer, nothing stays the same. Cancer forces us to face that reality sooner rather than later. Years ago I received an email from a man who had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer. In thinking about what he had learned as a result of his diagnosis, he included this sentence, "Cancer clears away the cobwebs, cancer clarifies, cancer makes concise, cancer enables you to find comfort in God and freedom from the world’s entrapments." Cancer is not your friend. It’s an enemy you fight against as long as you can. But cancer often becomes the avenue by which you gain needed wisdom, deeper faith, and an insight into what matters most.Several years ago my wife was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. After two surgeries and radiation, she is doing very well and her checkups have been all clear. Even though they caught it very early and it was very tiny, the doctor warned her that it could come back. As we were driving and listening and talking about John and Elizabeth Edwards, Marlene mentioned a friend of ours, an experienced cancer nurse, who told her, "It’s gonna come back. It always does." I hadn’t heard that before yesterday. Now that’s not a prophecy, just a comment from a nurse who has seen what breast cancer can do. And she is a very good friend and loves us. I baptized her in the Jordan River in January.So we talked a bit. Suppose Marlene’s cancer does come back. Would I stop doing Keep Believing Ministries? No, probably not. Not at first. Depending on the circumstances and the prognosis, we would do what John and Elizabeth Edwards are doing. Sometimes you have no choice, but if you have a choice, you stay in the race as long as you can. You’ll know when the time comes to drop out.And make no mistake. We all drop out of the race sooner or later. As George Bernard Shaw remarked, the statistics on death are impressive. One out of one people die. That’s true for me and Marlene and for John and Elizabeth Edwards. We all have an appointment with death.Dean Barnett has cystic fibrosis. Writing from that perspective, he offers some very moving thoughts on John and Elizabeth Edwards. This is part of his conclusion:

Through the years, I’ve come to view serious and progressive illness as an ever constricting circle with oneself at the center. The interior of the circle represents the contents of one’s life. As the circle gets smaller, things that were inside get forced out. Some of these things are dearly missed; other items that were once thought precious get forced to the exterior and turn out to go surprisingly unlamented.

At the innermost point of the circle are the things that really matter: Family, faith, love. These things stay with you until the day that you die. At the very end, because the circle has shrunk down to its center, they’re all you have left.

And so for the moment, John Edwards is staying in the race. Good for him. If he and Elizabeth want to do that, if the doctors concur, if her health does not worsen, why not? Life is short enough as it is. Stay in the race as long as you can because the day comes for all of us when we must pass the baton to the next runner.Meanwhile, enjoy the journey, savor each moment, draw close to the ones you love, and do not go gentle into that good night.

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March 23, 2007, 9:32 AM Ray Warren says:
	Very well written and very thoughtful. Thank you.
March 23, 2007, 1:25 PM Steve Anderson says:
	What a comprehensive thought about the effects of cancer. Though I know no first hand knowledge of anyone or myself having suffered from the disease, what little I have read about it concers…Cancer, though an enemy to the body, brings clarity of the mind and an opportunity to exercise your faith in ways that many will never be able to fathom.
March 23, 2007, 2:50 PM Bill Hyatt says:
	Ray, I agree with your summary concerning the Edwards’. I personally do not want him as president because we are poles apart in our politics but that does not lessen the fact that this may be better for his wife than dropping out would be.
March 23, 2007, 5:40 PM George Olson says:
	Nice reflection. And what does it matter what we think, it is only within their lives and their journey that true maning is found. I appreciate your compassion and your grace. Many times we project the “stuff” in us on others and their lives, because we can;t understand ourselves. Blessings on you . . .
March 24, 2007, 8:30 AM Rick Miller says:
	My wife and I talked about this new chapter in John and Elizabeth Edwards’ lives over lunch Friday. I told her that I have been overly emotional since hearing this news on Thursday. Some of you may laugh and say, “Grown men don’t cry.” My reply to that is, “Nuts.” Donna is a breast cancer survivor. It’s been two years since the last chemo treatment. All of her check-ups have been clear. But as Elizabeth Edwards said Thursday, all cancer survivors experience those times of dread when a blood test or mamogram detects something new and different. Like your friend, our granddaughter has Cystic Fibrosis. She is five years old and with medication is doing very well. I am a brain tumor survivor. I have suffered the loss of some function from brain damage and a change in personality. But we go on. When you lose part of your vision, you are forced to cope. You make adjustments and live the life God has given. My wife and I have had renewed and deeper encounters with God through these experiences. We trust that He is in control of all things. We don’t understand all of the whys behind the losses, but we trust God in all things. I have been praying for Elizabeth Edwards and for John. I pray for her healing. I pray for peace and joy and love and patience. I pray that they have a growing personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all.
March 24, 2007, 2:06 PM Colleen Cornes UK says:
	This is a beautiful and sensitive piece of writing. When our time has come to say ’Goodbye’to this life, the most important thing is The ’Garment We Have Woven’ for eternity and our relationship with each other and the Master Weaver. My prayer of Faith is prayed for Elizabeth and her family. God is a miracle working God! Bless You.
March 24, 2007, 10:04 PM Rick Forcier, Olympia, WA says:
	Well said, Dr. Pritchard. I lost my sister to breast cancer in January. She was a wonderful Christian woman, a pastor’s wife, a mother and terrific friend to all who knew her. All along, she told us she had two suitcases packed. One for going and one for staying, whatever God had planned for her. Indeed, as her circle grew smaller, the essentials in life became her essentials. Her faith in God, and her family.
March 25, 2007, 6:45 AM Ron Ilbrink says:
	An AM radio host stated that when trials come people turn to religion, John Edwards has done that very thing. Having been through a number of trials [father of 4, now grown ups] I agree EVERY trial has brought me to my knees. Apparently the White House is more important as a long-shot than time with his wife.
March 28, 2007, 4:04 AM Wade Huntsinger says:
	Great post Ray, I was moved by the While being from NC has given me insight to the man in whom I have little respect or admiration for himself or his politics, I can always admire a man and woman in marriage. These guys were not married yesterday and this could be what she needs to keep up her drive and will. It is not for us to jusdge why they are doing it, its just their own decision. For the key point, it does not matter as i would never vote for him anyway, but as I said, I Admire Marriages that have lasted. for me I am bumping 25 years so I can relate. If I was faced with that decision and my wife said, “go for it” that is what I would do. That simple. God bless my friend.
March 30, 2007, 10:45 AM Ray Pritchard says:
	I am very, very grateful for all the comments. Yesterday Marlene went for her regular cancer check-up. Everything was good—all clear. The doctor said she is in remission, for which we give thanks to God. But there are no guarantees about tomorrow, are there? Since I wrote this entry, we learned that Tony Snow’s cancer has come back and has spread to his liver. So there you have both ends of the political spectrum—left and right. Cancer is no respecter of persons. And earlier this week we got an email from a dear friend in Chicago who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her prognosis is similar to Marlene’s—they caught it early and they hope for a cure. But no one can say for sure what the future holds—except to say that we know who holds the future. One final point re: John and Elizabeth Edwards. His decision may change as his wife’s health changes in the months to come. I expect Tony Snow will go back to the White House as soon as he can—if he can. Millions of people live with cancer and other debilitating diseases and their loved ones get up and go to work every day. God bless all of them, I say. Live until you die and don’t die until you’re dead. Ray
April 2, 2007, 12:18 PM Sandra says:
Retired school teacher.	I agree with everyone who said that the Edwards should move on in life with the health and strength they have for today. The Bible says be anxious for nothing for tomorrow has enough grief in itself. Today, they can run for president. Who wants to sit around not doing what their health would permit them to do? It’s not time for them to drop out of the race. I have no doubt that Edwards will be by his wife’s side when she needs that kind of attention. No matter what the doctors and x-rays say, we do not know what the Lord has said in this matter. I had a blockage in a duct in one breast, and the Lord said to me that I was 100%healed. The doctors said that I was 20% at risk to develop cancer. Some trust in chariots … I trust the Lord my God. Now, does that report mean that I’m supposed to live like a potential cancer patient 20% of the time? Of course not!
April 6, 2007, 4:23 PM s stanfield says:
	It would be a hard decision to ask your husband to not do something he has great passion to do. My only concern for the Edwards is if he were to win, wouldnt he have even less time to help his wife with this personal battle?
April 7, 2007, 8:02 AM Sally Gaigalas says:
	Thank you Pastor Ray for the wise comments on cancer. My brother in law is dying of brain cancer, and this is something we are going to share with him, as he does not know the Lord.
April 12, 2007, 8:00 PM Roy Hodson says:
	I have read with interest Ray’s posting on Mrs. Edward’s cancer and the comments that followed. While I have not yet personally experienced cancer I have a dear sister who has been living with it for 12-15 years. She has had 6-7 episodes during that time in many areas of her body. Her doctor refers to cancer as a “cronic” illness. It will return and you then fight it again with better tools. But most of all we see God’s hand in it all. It has drawn my sister closer to the Lord. It has helped our family be more dependent on the Lord as we see Him work in my sister’s life. It has given an opportunity to give witness to God’s power to her doctors. I’ll never forget the time I was with her to hear the report whether the chemo had removed the cancer from her liver and spine 3 years ago. The doctor said, “I don’t think we misdiagnosed it but we can’t find it.” When my sister and I both spontaneously give praise to God the doctor looked stunned but acknowledged something was at work. We recognize that the Lord is in control and have grown more grateful for each day. To God be the glory!