Presenter: Delaney Cummings

Born into a Chicago, working class family in 1918, Betty Ford truly grew into her own. She studied dance under Martha Graham right after college. In 1947, she was going through a divorce when she met Gerald Ford. She decided to support her husband while he climbed up to presidency in 1974. Her philanthropy work didn’t fully start happening until then. She was diagnosed with breast cancer after a month of living in the White House. Because there was no cure, she made it a point to make sure women get mammograms each year. She save so many lives. However, many might say her impact became even stronger after the White House. She had developed an addiction to pain killers and alcohol. So much so that her family had to have an intervention. After battling and winning over her addiction, she made the Betty Ford Center to help individuals and families conquer their addictions!