Ward on Words

There is a curious story in the New York Times about "the complicated legacy of Betty Ford's breast cancer story."  As someone considered high risk for breast cancer due to family history of the disease, I have some thoughts on Betty Ford's legacy.  Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1974 and was one of the  first women to openly talk about her diagnosis and subsequent mastectomy. At that time, her role  as First Lady gave her an enormous platform to raise awareness about the disease.  I was curious about this New York Times essay because of the impact breast cancer has had on my family. In 1970, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 37 years old, a mother with three young daughters. When this happened, she was sedated for a biopsy and knew that if the cancer was found, they'd perform a mastectomy before she woke up. She woke up without a breast.  I n later years, when I thought about the brutality of this medical approach, I thought I p