Former first lady’s fight against cancer

Re “Betty Ford a healer in her own right,” Dec. 28

As the world mourns the death of President Gerald R. Ford and recalls his efforts to heal the country, I am reminded of former First Lady Betty Ford’s pioneering efforts in bringing global awareness to the fight against breast cancer. Her personal and painful disclosure of her battle with the disease put the subject at the forefront of public consciousness and shattered the taboo of discussing breast cancer openly. She empowered survivors like me to follow her lead and dedicate our lives to ending breast cancer forever. That was 32 years ago, and while we have made great strides, there is still work to do. It’s time to take an aggressive stance. We are so close to a world without breast cancer. It is time for us to honor the courage of Betty Ford to see this fight through so that no one has to fear breast cancer again.

NANCY G. BRINKER

Dallas

The writer founded the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in Dallas.