Elizabeth Edwards set an example on how to manage a terminal disease

The conclusion of the John Edwards trial, in which the disgraced former presidential hopeful was acquitted on one charge of campaign finance fraud and in which a mistrial was declared on five other counts, has rekindled for many Americans the memory of Edwards' estranged wife,Elizabeth, and how she managed her diagnosis of terminal cancer.
In the end, Elizabeth Edwards chose to live her final days as she had most of her life – her way. (From The Magazine: Edwards in 2006.) She stopped cancertreatments, started saying goodbye to friends and lived as comfortably as she could at home.

For many people with aterminal illness, accepting death is not an option. Many will pursue every viable medical treatment available to prolong their life. As long as their health provider allows, they will fight their condition to the end. They will not give up.
But for those who realize they’ve exhausted the medical realm and decide – with or without their doctor’s advice – to end treatment, it’s not about giving up.Palliative care is about support and helping patients live their last days as comfortably as possible. For terminally ill patients and their families, making the decision to end therapy is never an easy one. The best approach should come after careful consideration. 

As Edwards said during her last public appearance in October at Cleary University, “I am dying. Of course you are, too. We all are.” 

For her and many patients with a terminal illness, it’s less about dyingand more about how to live.