On the eve of one of the biggest days of his life, Senator Barack Obama received some very sad news. His grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, passed away in the early hours of yesterday morning after a long battle with cancer.

Senator Obama suspended his campaign last month to visit his grandmother in Hawaii after she took a turn for the worse. He often spoke about her on the campaign trail, how she challenged him to take risks and how she gave of herself to give him a better life. Mrs. Dunham helped raise Senator Obama and his sister.

At a rally yesterday, Senator Obama spoke of his grandmother, saying she was "one of those great quiet heros we have across America, who aren't famous ... but each and every day they work hard. They look after their families. They look after their children and grandchildren."

A loss like this one is difficult no matter what the circumstances, but that it happened the day before the election makes it especially poignant. Our hearts go out to the Obama family today.