Betty Ford, Beloved Former First Lady, Dies at 93

Betty Ford, Beloved Former First Lady, Dies at 93

One of the most controversial first ladies inU.S.history, Elizabeth Bloomer Ford, well known as Betty Ford, died at the age of 93 last Friday at the Eisenhower Medical Centerin Rancho Mirage.

Betty Ford is certainly an honest, straightforward and adorable first lady, she was the one who would always speak up about certain things even if they are still considered to be taboo.  During the earlier days, cancer was still talked about in a hushed tone, Mrs. Ford stood up and spoke in national television about her breast cancer surgery, this made people aware about the disease and about ways of detecting it. Also, at the time the former President Ford was bombarded by the Watergate scandal and theVietnamwars, Mrs. Ford provided a refreshing view to the public with her candidness.

Her greatest moment arrived a few months before she left the White House, when she acknowledged the fact that she is suffering from painkiller and alcohol addiction. Her triumph over her addiction, led to the founding of the nonprofit Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage aimed for the rehabilitation of addicts in 1982, she is famous for her spiel "Hello, my name's Betty Ford, and I'm an alcoholic and drug addict,” towards the center’s new patients.

Certainly,Americahas lost a gem upon her death and she will always be an inspiration to the nation.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Sunday July 10 2011, 7:53 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0