Should I refuse cancer treatment?
Refusing treatment is a personal decision that involves not just the medical facts of the case, but the values of the person afflicted with cancer. Although it can be hard to accept, sometimes refusing treatment is the right decision to make.
How is Betty Ford portrayed as an ideal patient?
Betty Ford was portrayed as an ideal patient within a success narrative that presented the key sequences of her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in a progressive, linear fashion that inspired optimism. Her coverage minimized the complexity of breast cancer as a disease and ignored the debates surrounding best treatment practices.
How did Betty's friend save her life?
As reported by Cancer Today, Betty accompanied a friend to a breast exam, and her friend encouraged her to have one as well. That impulsive decision saved her life: The doctor found a marble-sized lump in her breast, and two days later she underwent a radical mastectomy.
What did Betty Ford say about alcohol and Drug Abuse?
In January 1984, Betty Ford said the six years since beginning her alcohol and drug abuse treatment "have been the best years in my life from the standpoint of feeling healthier and feeling more comfortable with myself" during an address at a program in Michigan.
Why did Joan Crawford refuse treatment?
In the 1960s, film actress Joan Crawford refused treatment for her pancreatic cancer because of her faith as a Christian Scientist.
What is the importance of preparing for the end of your life?
That means getting important documents together, and storing them with a lawyer or in a safe deposit box. That might include insurance records, bank statements, trusts, and a will.
Can cancer be cured?
It’s not the easiest thing in the world to come to grips with, but not all cancer cases can be cured. Sometimes, cancer progresses to a point where it can’t be treated, and sometimes treatment simply stops working. Even when treatment may extend a person’s life, some people find that the side effects of that treatment makes life unbearable.
Is refusing cancer treatment a medical decision?
That’s why it’s important to recognize that refusing cancer treatment is not only a medical decision, but a personal decision, as well.
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What did Bill and Betty do?
Every time he took on a new territory, the couple would move, and Betty would find work at a local department store. But Bill often stayed out late, and his health deteriorated due to diabetes and his drinking.
How did Betty's father die?
The official cause of death was listed as carbon monoxide poisoning despite the garage door being open, but Betty acknowledged later in her life that her father very likely died by suicide. She recalled that the first time she heard someone call her father an alcoholic was at his funeral.
Why is Betty Ford so famous?
She became an icon not because of her flaws, but because she faced those flaws with honesty and surprising strength and dignity. Betty Ford did much to normalize the idea that addiction is a disease—so much so that her namesake treatment center remains shorthand for substance abuse treatment.
What is Betty Ford's struggle with?
But what most people think of when they think of Betty Ford is her struggle with addiction and alcoholism.
How old was Betty when she started dancing?
She wanted to raise Betty to be a traditional society wife, and she began training her daughter in the role at a very young age. When Betty was just 8-years-old , her mother enrolled her in dance classes at the Calla Travis Dance Studio in Grand Rapids.
Why did Spiro Agnew resign?
Then, as History reminds us, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned in the midst of a corruption scandal. President Richard Nixon had to appoint a replacement that would be easily confirmed—and Jerry Ford was the obvious choice.
When did Betty Ford become First Lady?
When Betty Ford became First Lady in 1974 , it was a time of rapid change in America when it came to women's roles. The President's wife had long been expected to silently support her husband, and to engage mostly in social and charitable work.
What was Betty Ford's stance on women's issues?
Main article: Betty Ford Center. August 1975 support in Portland, Maine for Ford's stance on various women's issues. In 1978, the Ford family staged an intervention and forced her to confront her alcoholism and an addiction to opioid analgesics, which had been prescribed in the early 1960s for a pinched nerve.
How did Betty Ford change the world?
By repeatedly speaking out on women's issues, Betty Ford became a leader in the changing status of women in American society. She surprised the media and the public by explicitly supporting a woman's right to an abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment, and grass roots activism. She knew her new roles caused a political risk of conservative backlash against the president. Not everything was innovative. She enjoyed the traditional role as hostess of the White House and on a daily basis she spent most of her energy on the family, health, and filling in for her husband on the hustings.
What book did Betty Ford write?
She also co-authored with Chris Chase a book about her treatment, Betty: A Glad Awakening (1987). In 2003, Ford produced another book, Healing and Hope: Six Women from the Betty Ford Center Share Their Powerful Journeys of Addiction and Recovery.
What was Betty Ford's career after leaving the White House?
Post-White House career. After leaving the White House in 1977, Ford continued to lead an active public life. In addition to founding the Betty Ford Center, she remained active in women's issues, taking on numerous speaking engagements and lending her name to charities for fundraising.
What happened to Rosalind Russell?
Betty Ford hosts actress Rosalind Russell at the White House on May 11, 1976. Russell was suffering from breast cancer, and would die 6 months later. Weeks after Ford became first lady, she underwent a mastectomy for breast cancer on September 28, 1974, after having been diagnosed with the disease.
When did Betty Ford get her medal?
Betty Ford with her husband and President George W. Bush on April 23, 2006. In 1987, Ford underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery and recovered without complications. In November 18, 1991, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H.W. Bush and a Congressional Gold Medal in 1999.
Where is Betty Ford's statue?
In July 2018, a statue of Betty Ford was unveiled outside of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.