Chinatown, 1976 Election
First Lady Betty Ford Campaigning for President Gerald Ford at a Chinese American Rally in Chinatown, Los Angeles, California. 10/20/1976
Photograph of First Lady Betty Ford Expressing Her Support for the Equal Rights Amendment in Hollywood, Florida, 02/25/1975
“…one day I appeared to be fine and the next day I was in the hospital for a mastectomy. It made me realize how many women in the country could be in the same situation.
That realization made me decide to discuss my breast cancer operation openly, because I thought of all the lives in jeopardy. My experience and frank discussion of breast cancer did prompt many women to learn about self-examination, regular checkups, and such detection techniques as mammography. These are so important. I just cannot stress enough how necessary it is for women to take an active interest in their own health and body.
Too many women are so afraid of breast cancer that they endanger their lives. These fears of being “less” of a woman are very real, and it is very important to talk about the emotional side effects honestly. They must come out into the open.”
-Betty Ford in her remarks to the American Cancer Society, 1975
People didn’t talk openly about breast cancer when Betty Ford was diagnosed with the disease in 1974. As First Lady, Betty openly shared her breast cancer and mastectomy experiences with the public. In the process, she advocated for public awareness of breast cancer, self-examinations for early detection, and women’s health.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, here are photos that the First Lady shared with the public following her breast cancer surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital on October 4, 1974. One year later, Betty greeted the press in front of the Guttman Institute for Early Detection of Breast Cancer in New York.
Be sure to follow Our Presidents today for photos and stories from the life of former First Lady Betty Ford:
Betty Ford
April 8, 1918 - July 8, 2011
To honor the remarkable and inspiring life of Betty Ford, Our Presidents will be sharing photos and stories about the former First Lady. Here, President and Mrs. Ford hug each other in the Oval Office. December 6, 1974.
From the Ford Presidential Library and Museum.
Meanwhile in the East Wing…
First Lady Betty Ford works at her desk, where a “Don’t Tread on Me” Equal Rights Amendment doormat hangs. June 30, 1975.
-from the Ford Presidential Library and Museum
