Who Was Betty Ford An Influential Person?

Citizens of the United States are influenced by the inspirational people of the past. Betty Ford is one of those names that should be remembered for her unforgettable role as first lady. Ford was the wife of our 38th president, Gerald Ford, from 1974 to 1977. She was born as Elizabeth Ann Bloomer on April 8, 1918, in Chicago, Illinois. Her family lived in Chicago and Denver before settling in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Betty wanted to grow up and be a dancer, but her mother wouldn’t let her. Instead, she opened her own dance studio where she held classes to teach disabled and underprivileged children to dance. Growing up, Ford was successful in which she battled her way through drug and alcohol addictions and fatal sickness. Her struggles of the past became her incentives for the future. Ford passed away on July 8, 2011 in her home in Rancho Mirage, California due to natural causes. Betty Ford is a noteworthy and influential subject because she fully supported sick children and the less fortunate, she stood for the Equal Rights Amendment, she made powerful choices as the first lady. …show more content…
She spoke honestly about her past addictions hoping to bring public awareness to alcohol and drug dependency. More importantly, “she openly discussed the health issues and the chemotherapy that followed, which had previously been a taboo subject, and her actions inspired tens of thousands of American women to have their breasts examined for cancer” (C). She supported cancer foundations and hospitals such as Washington’s Hospital for Sick Children, Goodwill Industries, and No Greater Love. Later, in 1982, she founded her own drug addiction clinic, the Betty Ford Center. Every day this clinic provides help to hundreds trying to overcome addiction