GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.– Roughly 2,000 people came out to Ah-Nab-Awen Park outside the Ford Museum Monday to support breast cancer awareness.
Among those thousands was the daughter of the late Betty Ford, Susan Ford Bales.
“She never would have expected any less of women to speak out and stand up for breast cancer,” Bales said of her mother.
The former First Lady was one of the first women to publicly allow a candid conversation about breast cancer. Bales says she was a pioneer in an age where you couldn’t even say “breast” on TV.
A part of Spectrum Health, Betty Ford Breast Cancer Services helps screen patients at 10 locations throughout the state.
“It’s important for women with breast cancer to stand on their own and to share their story,” Bales said.
Spectrum says deaths from breast cancer have been declining since 1989. They believe it’s from early detection and increased awareness.
