GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Former First Lady Betty Ford is being highlighted in a new exhibit at the Gerald Ford Presidential Library and Museum. "The Betty Blip: Betty Ford’s Battle Against Breast Cancer" shares Betty's breast cancer journey and how she brought previously unseen awareness of the disease to the American people.
In 1974, Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer, just six weeks into her husband's presidency. At the time, it was a disease rarely talked about.
"Breast was something that you wouldn't say on television," said Mirelle Luecke, supervisory curator at the museum. "People often didn't say they had breast cancer. They would use other euphemisms to talk about the disease. The fact that she chose to go public with her diagnosis and talk about it, was really groundbreaking."
The exhibit highlights a phenomenon called "The Betty Blip." After she went public with her diagnosis, there was a surge in women across the country who scheduled screenings, mammograms, and got early detection.
"The American public was learning more about breast cancer in real time, as Betty experienced her diagnosis, her surgery and her recovery," said Luecke. "When she became first lady, it wasn't something that she had ever sought or thought that would happen to her, but she knew that she wanted to to change the world if she could."
Inside the exhibit, you can see a breast cancer ribbon Beanie Baby, left after Betty Ford's death, a Gucci handbag given by the Italian president, an elephant hair bracelet and letters written by the public to Betty and her family.
"It's really emotional reading the letters that the American public sent to Betty Ford," said Luecke. "People sent her all sorts of letters, from children writing in and wishing her a speedy recovery, talking about how their own mothers have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and that they hoped that he could be brave like their mothers, to women talking about their own experiences with breast cancer."
The exhibit is open through April 9.
Friday, September 27, a mobile mammography event is being held in conjunction with Corewell Health. It will be held outside the Ford Presidential Museum starting at 1pm.
