“I remember the day in 1982 when my son Eric and I -- he was just 7 years old at the time -- greeted Mrs. Ford as she stepped out of a plane and into the stifling Dallas heat to help launch our new Susan G. Komen Foundation. My eyes filled with tears: One of the most courageous First Ladies in history was here helping to fulfill the promise I made to my sister, who died of breast cancer in 1980, to do everything in my power to end this disease forever.

“When we asked Mrs. Ford to join us for the women's polo tournament that we'd organized to raise funds for our fledgling organization, she readily agreed, as long as we could guarantee that she wouldn't have to get up on a horse and play.”