Near Death, Elizabeth Edwards Quits Cancer Treatment

CHAPEL HILL, NC (WGHP) — Elizabeth Edwards over the past six years has seen her husband's presidential ambitions thwarted, retreated from public life as their marriage disintegrated over his affair, then emerged to advocate for changes in the country's health care system, all while grappling with the cancer ravaging her body.

Now, doctors have told the 61-year-old and her family that further treatment will do no good, and ever the public figure, Edwards thanked her supporters on her Facebook page Monday, perhaps weeks away from the disease taking her life.

"The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered," Edwards wrote. "We know that. And yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful."