How We Fight: In Public and In Private

Jonathan Alter relives his own struggle with cancer

By Colleen Barry, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 2, 2007 4:15 PM CDT

(Newser) – Fit and under fifty when diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma, Newsweek reporter Jonathan Alter talks about his own battle with cancer in the wake of a week of high-profile recurrences. Now in remission, as Elizabeth Edwards and Tony Snow were until last week, Alter describes managing the fear survivors live with.

"A friend compares his semiannual scans to visiting a parole officer. When the scans are clean, it's worth another six months of freedom, though with no guarantee of extra time for good behavior." Those who criticize Elizabeth Edwards and Tony Snow, he adds, are "busybodies who don't have cancer, but feel free to judge the complex choices made by those who do."

[Images (3)]

[Videos (2)]

Elizabeth Edwards speaks about her experience with cancer. (Getty Images (by Event))

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow recently announced his colon cancer has recurred. (Getty Images (by Event))

Reporting on Broadcasting / Jonathan Alter (Moonsearcher (YouTube))

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Reporting on Broadcasting / Jonathan Alter (Moonsearcher (YouTube))

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Elizabeth Edwards Back on Stump—for Health Reform

3 months on from scandal, attorney returns to public life, alone

(NEWSER) - Elizabeth Edwards is cautiously reemerging into public life—sans wedding ring—after her husband's headline-grabbing affair, the Washington Post writes. She declines to play the role of the wronged wife and avoids interviews. But she's giving speeches again, a physically fragile but fierce advocate of a more fair health care system, drawing on her extensive legal experience and her continuing battle with cancer. More»

Snow's Death Puts Politics in Perspective

Elizabeth Edwards salutes cancer victim from across aisle

(NEWSER) - The death of Tony Snow serves as a tragic reminder that some things are far more important in life than party politics, Elizabeth Edwards writes in Newsweek. The Democratic health adviser pays warm tribute to her fellow cancer sufferer, and expresses hope that the words "common cause" will gain greater meaning. "I suspect Tony and I agreed on more things than we might have guessed," she writes. More»

Edwards to Quit '08 Race

Ends underdog bid overshadowed by fierce Obama, Clinton rivalry

(NEWSER) - Democratic hopeful John Edwards is ending his second quest for the presidency, reports the AP, capping a campaign in which he focused on progressive ideals and wrestled with the recurring cancer of his wife, Elizabeth. The former senator canceled campaign events last night for what was to be a major speech on poverty in New Orleans this afternoon. Instead, he will use the 1pm speech to drop out, said insiders. More»

Breast Cancer Risk Seen for Latinos, Blacks

Scientists find higher prevalance of mutated gene in new study

(NEWSER) - A genetic mutation that increases the risk of breast cancer has been linked to Hispanic and young black women, according to a new study. The findings could lead to changes in screening, the San Jose Mercury News reports. In the survey of 3,181 women with breast cancer, 16.7% of black patients under 35 and 3.5% of Hispanic patients had the mutated gene, compared with 2.2% of white patients. More»

Cancer Society Takes on Health Care Policy

Ads will focus on inadequate insurance, effect on prevention

(NEWSER) - The American Cancer Society’s next ad campaign won’t tackle the tobacco wars or advocate mammograms, the Times reports. Instead, the group will devote its entire $15 million ad budget to the nation’s health care crisis. The move follows recent research linking detection delays with lack of coverage, which “will be a bigger cancer killer than tobacco,” the society predicts. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

How We Fight: In Public and In Private