Personal adversity often builds tremendous character and integrity, and these are qualifications that an American president needs. Can a personal tragedy, however, distract a public official from executing his duties to the fullest? Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, recently announced that her stage IV breast cancer has spread to bone and is now incurable. Edwards is about to embark on arguably the most important race of his life. Will his wife's cancer distract him and negatively impact his campaign?

Edwards insisted that nothing will derail his campaign. In a recent press conference regarding the diagnosis, he said, "The campaign goes on. The campaign goes on strongly." The Edwardses are serious about not letting cancer interfere with their goal of becoming the next residents of the White House.

Some might think this perseverance is harsh. After all, it's not easy to run a presidential campaign (Elizabeth is her husband's right-hand woman for running the campaign) and also battle a deadly disease in your body.

I see it as a sign of integrity and compassion. It is obvious that Edwards' wife, one of his greatest campaign assets, refuses to be treated as a victim. In fact, it was at Elizabeth's insistence that he chose to continue with his campaign.

This personal edge may be just what Edwards needs to gain some much-needed ground over the Democratic frontrunners, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. According to CNN political analyst Bill Schneider, this personal adversity will help to increase his likeability factor. "In the past, Edwards has been criticized as a rich populist who lives in a mansion. But now it's going to be very hard for anyone to portray him as isolated from the real-life problems ordinary people face."

Despite the edge that this cancer will give Edwards' campaign, he still faces two distinct problems. The first is his third-place ranking in the majority of polls behind the ambitious Clinton and the charismatic Obama. Given the acerbic disdain for the Bush administration and the Republican Party dominated by Bush and his buddies, 2008 is the prime opportunity for a big change in image, and this could come in the form of a woman or a black man winning the presidency for the first time in history.

It wasn't so long ago that Edwards failed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004. He is, however, the leading white male candidate for president, and America has never had it any other way.

Another predicament Edwards faces is running the risk of appearing to use his wife's illness to drum up support and sympathy from American voters. There is an extremely fine line between using this illness to gain an advantage and improve his image, and manipulating it to the point that it puts people off.

On the same note, there's the danger of letting cancer overwhelm the campaign. The situation puts the Edwardses at a level that millions of Americans can relate to, but this is a presidential race; the campaign needs to focus on his policy and what he plans on changing if he gets elected.

Voters will react to the Edwardses' news in two separate ways. They will either see the decision to continue with the campaign as an indication of integrity and strength, or they might perceive this as a distraction with personal problems that takes away from the issues.

People who use their personal illnesses or circumstances as excuses to alleviate the pressures of the world or get a freebie cheat themselves and the people who trust them. Those who are truly strong are able to deal with personal problems and move on. For such a person, adversity will make them stronger. Hopefully that is Edwards' goal in sharing his family's personal struggle with America.

Reach columnist Chris Heide at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.