SAN ANTONIO — One day after her death, many are still mourning Elizabeth Edwards.
The wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards lost her six-year battle with cancer on Tuesday.
She is being remembered as a strong woman, who touched many lives, including that of local author Brenda Coffee.
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“We lost the face of stage 4 breast cancer,” said Coffee. “She was our hope. I think she gave everybody hope. Everybody who is trying to get through some hard time in their life, whether it’s the loss of a child, the break-up of a marriage, or a serious illness. Elizabeth just had this way about her.”
Coffee said she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer six years ago. Since then, she’s had 10 breast cancer surgeries and eight rounds of chemotherapy. She’s made it her mission to reach out to other survivors and their families by starting the Breast Cancer Sisterhood.
Her latest book features a piece written Elizabeth Edwards.
“We were diagnosed around the same period of time and started treatment at the same time,” said Coffee. “And we’re both married to powerful men who let us down in one way or another.”
Coffee also started one of the top breast cancer blogs. She has been blogging for a little over a year, reaching out to about 20,000 women a month.
“There’s just a giant gap between the medical and research of finding a cure,” she said. “And, administering treatment and resuming your life and its particularly hard on families.
Coffee now hopes that Edwards’ legacy will live on and serve as a reminder about breast cancer and the need to find a cure.
