First Ladies of Breast Cancer

Call them breast cancer’s pioneers. Until they “came out,” words like breast cancer and mastectomy were not discussed publicly. Because of this long tradition of silence, few women realized their risk or got timely treatment. No one knew much about breast cancer.

In 1973, first lady Betty Ford broke through decades of silence telling the world when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. Known for her candor and forthrightness much appreciated in those post-Watergate years Ford gained the public’s admiration. Her courage in talking about breast cancer spurred more women than ever before to have mammograms. Breast cancer detection clinics opened nationwide and women lined up for screenings. Ford’s legacy is her openness and forthrightness in discussing her personal struggles. Her willingness to reveal her breast cancer raised the public’s awareness of the disease and educated many women about early detection. In 1999, she and her husband received the Congressional Gold Medal for their dedication to public service and their humanitarian contributions. Betty Ford is very much alive today, still championing her beloved causes. One who took Ford’s message seriously was Betty Rollin, a well-known network television correspondent. Rollin reported on Ford’s story shortly before learning that she, too, had breast cancer. In her landmark book, First, You Cry, Rollin wrote candidly about breast cancer about the pain and heartache of battling the disease, about her mastectomy, and about the personal considerations involved in choosing treatment. “Her mastectomy is handled with such humor and bluntness that you feel like you’ve lived through each moment with her,” writes book reviewer Jana Siciliano. “She is a very feminist yet feminine spirit, and it is fascinating to see her be angry at herself for caring what she looks like and stressing out over bras and other fashion questions to hide her missing breast.” First, You Cry was published in 1976 and republished this year on Rollin’s 25th anniversary of being cancer-free. When Rose Kushner discovered her breast cancer in 1974, she single-mindedly began her crusade to get things changed. At that time, a woman with a lump in her breast would have the lump removed for biopsy. If it was malignant, the breast was removed. The woman learned she lost a breast only after she awoke from anesthesia. Kushner vehemently opposed this “one-step procedure.” She believed that a woman needed time after learning about her breast cancer diagnosis, time to find the best surgeon and to adjust to the change in her body. She also resented the haphazard stitching that left an ugly scar on the woman’s body. Working tirelessly as an advocate, Kushner is credited as the single most important person to eliminate the one-step radical mastectomy. Later, she advocated the increased use of lumpectomy only. Kushner also introduced a congressional bill authorizing Medicare coverage for screening mammograms — a bill that became law. It ensured that older women could get life-saving mammograms despite their low income. Kushner received a presidential appointment to the National Cancer Advisory Board. In 1990, she lost her battle with breast cancer. In 1992, Vickie Girard was told she had six months to live and thus began her personal campaign to educate patients about their rights. After getting the same “terminal” diagnosis from four oncologists, Girard finally found one who offered her hope, a bone marrow transplant. However, her insurance company refused to cover the procedure, calling it too experimental. Through money raised in her Michigan community, Girard had the procedure, which proved to be successful. She began her crusade, speaking at any event she could talking about breast cancer and patient rights. Two years ago, Girard faced a recurrence and second bone-marrow transplant. She is cancer-free today and continues her crusade. (Source: Fran Visco, president, National Breast Cancer Coalition. Carrie Spector, spokeswoman, Breast Cancer Action: WebMD Health News: October 2003)