Despite the Edwards' optimistic demeanor yesterday, the prognosis is a bit more grave than they let on. Then again, there is real reason to be hopeful, since about one in four live longer than five years - not to mention that current survival rates lag behind recent advances in medicine that may well enhance life expectancy.

But each case is different. Here's a hopeful example of a woman whose been on a similar trajectory to Elizabeth Edwards and still going strong seven years after her breast cancer metastasized into her bones.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this post from Dean Barnett on his experience dealing with serious illness:

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.

But as we approach that end, we finally realize that all along they were what mattered most. As a consequence, life often remains beautiful and worthwhile right up until the end. The past several years for me have been a journey to what's at the center of my life.

Wonderfully put. It's a lesson even those in good health should take to heart.

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