Edwardses' News Brings Flood of Online Support

"No one has a crystal ball that says any candidate isn't going to have something crop up in their lives -- an illness, an accident, whatever -- that needs to be dealt with," Rappaport said. "This is what they are dealing with now. They have been very public and open about it. As I've said to people: Just keep watching. This campaign is still going strong."

In fact, Sturman said, the campaign has been well served in the short term by the Edwardses' decision to go public with their personal health crisis. They've had, she said, "an 'Oprah' moment."

The couple's appearance on "60 Minutes" Sunday night, in particular, gave campaign supporters a lift.

"All of a sudden they were standing in front of you. They really opened up. There was nothing between you and them. It was like, wow," Feldman said.

Nadine North, who attended the San Francisco fundraiser, said she thinks that the couple's handling of the situation has helped Edwards break through, at least for a moment, at a time when media attention had been more focused on two of his Democratic rivals, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.).

"I think people who skim along the surface might be concerned about his potential down the road," North said. "But other people will know more about him now, and I think will like him even more."

Research editor Alice Crites contributed to this report.