Please join FLARE at its March Virtual Program:
In Sickness and in the White House: First Ladies' Illnesses from the 1840s to the 1980s
with Katie Sibley, Michelle Gullion, and Elizabeth Thacker-Estrada
March 28, 2024 7:30 pm EDT
While less noticed than the presidents’ health, first ladies’ health--mental and physical--has been closely related to their husbands’ abilities to do their jobs. Both their well-being and their interests in health issues have served as an area of their advocacy for them and the nation. Whether it was Betty Ford and breast cancer or addiction, Rosalynn Carter and mental health, or Michelle Obama and children’s obesity, first ladies have raised awareness for others. But at times, these women have also been terribly ill themselves; three died in office and Florence Harding nearly did. Betty Ford and Nancy Reagan faced breast cancer diagnoses and treatment. Focusing on those women who experienced serious illness, this panel explores first ladies' struggles with health, and health advocacy.