Betty Ford served as First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977 and became one of the most admired women of her era for her honesty and activism. After being diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after entering the White House, she spoke openly about her illness and treatment, helping to break long-standing taboos around women’s health and encouraging countless Americans to seek early screenings. Her candor transformed public awareness of breast cancer at a time when it was rarely discussed. Later, in 1982, she co-founded the Betty Ford Center in California, which became a leading institution for substance-abuse treatment and recovery.