I had a personal experience with Elizabeth Edwards that I will never forget. She was the keynote speaker at the 2007 Compassionate Friends conference in Oklahoma City, which I attended. I bought her book “Saving Graces,” took it with me to the conference and wanted her to sign it. At the time, she was doing chemo treatments for her breast cancer, and I marveled at her strength and courage to continue with all her speaking engagements and interviews (that night after the conference she flew to Los Angeles to appear on Larry King.)
After she gave an eloquent speech to the crowd of over 1,500 people, many of us ran to the bookstore to stand in line for that autograph. As I looked behind me, there must have been a thousand people waiting in line; I was around the 50th one.
We all patiently waited and when I got to the front, I understood why it was taking so long. She greeted each person, asked his or her name, the child’s name who had died. She especially wanted to know how the child had died. She listened attentively to eachperson . She then wrote a dedication in the book in memory of the child who died and posed for a picture with each person.
When it was my turn, I knew it was a moment I wouldn’t forget. I told her how my daughter had died in a car accident similar to her son Wade and just two years prior to his. I knew she understood the fact that sudden death leaves no time for goodbyes.
She was so genuine, so empathetic, so kind; and although very petite and a little frail, there was a strength and resolve about her I immediately admired. I got to tell my story and she listened attentively.
Her bodyguards were trying to get her to hurry so the private plane could get her to L.A. on time for the show, but she would have none of it. She was determined to stay there until she met every parent and signed every book, and she did just that. The word “stubborn” comes to mind, but in a very good way.
That night, some of us watched her on the Larry King Show and had to smile. We all noticed she was wearing the same dress as she had worn that afternoon. She had not even had time to change clothing for the show!
I will always remember Elizabeth Edwards for her courage, her kindness to others, as I witnessed at that conference ,and her ability to face and deal with whatever came her way.
Sandy Fox 2010
Tags: anger, belongings, funerals, money, Depression, guilt
Sandy, What a beautiful story. I too heard Elizabeth Edwards speak at Compassionate Friends. My heart goes out to her family. They have lost a beautiful spirit but there must be thousands of beautiful memories like yours. I hope they will somehow hear about your post. Thank you for all you do. Gloria
Can anyone tell me what Elizabeth Edwards said about people being scared to talk about her son in front of her? i heard a blurb of her on the news after her passing and it touched me as I have lost a child.
if you know someone who has lost a child and you are afraid to mention them because you are reminding them that their child died.. they didn’t forget, what you are reminding them of is that their child lived and that is a great gift. (this is off of memory so it may not be verbatim but its the gist.)
I also had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Edwards at the National Conference of the Compassionate Friends in Oklahoma City. I also stood in line and when it was my turn she so sincerely asked of my child, how she died and when I told her Amanda had been killed 5 weeks before her graduation from Ohio University and that she was the senior class president. Mrs. Edwards then shared with me that her niece was a student at OU and that she had been there several times. I then shared how the new student center had be built, that Amanda had been one of two students on the design committee and that when the center was finished, the university honored Amanda by naming the leadership center the Amanda J. Cunningham Leadership Center. Mrs Edwards was truly touched and said what a wonderful tribute to such an obvious outstanding young lady. What an amazing woman that showed such strength and compassion and that she did truly care for the people she met that day. I also remember watching her on Larry King and also commented on the fact she did not have time to change her clothes. To her being able to stay and meet as many of the bereaved families as she could was more important than how see looked for TV. Truly a memory I will cherish always.