direct and to the point even about the illness which today took her life. you really have two choices here. you either push forward with the things you were doing yesterday or you start dying. that seems to be your only two choices. we are very optimistic. reporter: she pushed forward for six years through several campaigns for high office, through a recurrence of the illness and through her husband s infidelity. there are days when, you know, people have been through what i ve been through in my marriage or with this disease and have days when they just pull the covers back up over their heads and stay put. reporter: she died this morning at her home in chapel hill north carolina. doctors had told her further treatment would be un- productive but held out the hope she had maybe a few weeks more. it was not to be and in a statement a short time ago the edwards family said today we have lost the comfort of elizabeth s presence but she remains the heart of this family