Barack Obama's Grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, loses battle with cancer

A very sad day for the Obama Campaign, yesterday, Terence Tolbert, Barack Obama's Nevada state director died of a sudden heart attack, today we have learned that Barack Obama's 86 year old grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has lost her bout with cancer.

With sadness I bring the following news from 13 News in Baltimore:

Barack Obama's Grandmother Dies
WASHINGTON (CBS)

A day before the presidential election, Barack Obama announced the death Monday of his grandmother, who helped raise him and who he praised as the cornerstone of his family.

The Democratic presidential candidate announced the news in a joint statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng. He said his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, had died peacefully after a battle with cancer.

He said: "She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances."

The candidate learned of her death Monday morning while he was campaigning in Jacksonville, Fla. He planned to go ahead with campaign appearances.

Late last month, Obama took a break from campaigning and flew to Hawaii to be with the 86-year-old Dunham.

Obama said the decision to go to Hawaii was easy to make, telling CBS that he "got there too late" when his mother died of ovarian cancer in 1995 at 53, and wanted to make sure "that I don't make the same mistake twice."