(Image source: The New York Times/Gerald R. Ford Library)

BY: TRACY PFEIFFER

ANCHOR: JENNIFER MECKLES

Former First Lady Betty Ford - wife of Gerald R. Ford - died Friday at the age of 93.

“Elizabeth Blumer - Betty - was born in 1918 in Chicago and grew up in Michigan. …Married and divorced in her 20s, in 1947 Betty’s life changed forever when she met Gerald R. Ford. They met in 1948, two weeks before he was elected to his term in Congress -- a marriage that would last until Gerald Ford’s death in December 2006.” (ABC)

Gerald, of course, would go on to become president in 1974 after the resignation of Richard Nixon.

His wife was well known for her openness and honesty - especially about her own life. One of her major contributions -- was bringing the issue of cancer to the American forefront.

ANDREA MITCHELL: “She and President Ford, when she first experienced her bout with breast cancer, were very public, very open about it. In fact, they had a photo opportunity in her hospital room out at Walter Reed to make it very clear to everyone that it was not something to be covered up, which back then, in the 70s, it was.” (MSNBC)

And as Bloomberg reports, her advocacy had a real affect on Americans’ understanding of issues like screening and prevention.

“Her decision to talk about her cancer publicly prompted thousands of women to call their doctors to schedule mammograms and learn about breast self-examination. In the week after her surgery, 27 clinics reported a four- to 10-fold increase in cancer-prevention inquiries...”

Ford is also remembered for co-founding the Betty Ford Center in California, a treatment center for those struggling with substance abuse.

“I think she educated a generation that needed education, that needed support in how to deal with these problems.”

SANDRA ENDO, NECN: “Mrs. Ford disclosed publicly that she had for years abused alcohol and had become dependent on prescription drugs - the first political figure to openly address a problem that plagued millions.”

… “It made it unnecessary to hide the reality of substance abuse.” (NECN)

Ford was also an advocate for women’s rights, supporting the Equal Rights Amendment and legalized abortion. A blogger for The Telegraph has more. (Video: ABC)

“She asked people to call her the First Mama and wore a psychedelic mood ring. She spoke understandingly about marijuana use and premarital sex, and she let it be known that she and the President slept in the same bed. It can’t be overstated just how radical this seemed at the time...”

A writer for the Guardian notes - Ford wasn’t the ideal First Lady of the era - but she was popular and effective at cleaning up the White House image post-Watergate.

“Her unscripted comments sparked media storms and dismayed her husband's advisers, who were trying to soothe the national psyche after Watergate. But 1970s America found Ford's openness refreshing, and people loved her for it.”

Finally - we leave you with words from Ford herself - an excerpt from the prologue to her first autobiography.

“I am an ordinary woman who was called onstage at an extraordinary time... I was no different once I became first lady than I had been before. But through an accident of history, I had become interesting to people.” (The New York Times)