I am a historian by training. I follow several historical associations on social media. This can sometimes – honestly, most times- lead to a rabbit hole of many, many hours lost. There are still things that I learn, tidbits of history I never knew before.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the White House Historical Association published the story of First Lady Betty Ford and First Lady Nancy Reagan, both of whom were survivors of breast cancer. Both ladies, however, are credited with bringing to light the options of a breast cancer diagnosis, as early as 1974. Now this was a time when people didn’t talk about body parts in public. *GASP* Not even boobs. The media did not run news stories about mammograms and there was no such thing as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Both women had different stories – journeys- based on the needs of their lives and families at the time, but both had mastectomies. Two months into her new job as First Lady, Mrs. Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she had a mastectomy in September 1974. She had what was considered a radical mastectomy two days later, with doctors removing her entire breast as well as her pectoral muscles and lymph nodes on her right side. She spoke openly about breast cancer and in that, rose awareness of women’s health concerns. She made remarks to the American Cancer Society: “It made me realize how many women in the county 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.”
Even as recently as the 1950s and 1960s, discussing breast cancer was taboo. In obituaries, women who died from breast cancer were listed as dying from a “prolonged disease” or a “woman’s disease.” Mrs. Ford’s frankness allowed women to know more about cancer and the options. Diagnosis and treatment increased after Betty Ford started talking openly about it and encouraging women to get exams.
Fast forward over a decade later to the late 1980s when First Lady Nancy Reagan was diagnosed with a seven-millimeter tumor in her breast. She had a mastectomy, even though some believed that having a less invasive treatment (lumpectomy followed by radiation) would have a similar outcome. However, HER CHOICE was to be present for her husband while he was running the country. Mrs. Reagan also advocated for routine mammograms of women. She even has a breast cancer center in California named after her.
These women were able to use their position in society to advocate for the health of women. They publicized their journeys for the benefit of others. They helped destigmatize the discussion of boob health. I am thankful for them and their journeys.
Click the links above for more information on the journeys of these two First Ladies.
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