Former first lady Betty Ford hospitalized

[951-Riverside]

Former first lady Betty Ford was hospitalized on Thursday for unspecified tests, NBC News reported on Thursday. There were no details yet on why she was admitted to Rancho Mirage, Calif.’s Eisenhower Medical Center.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12408347/from/RSS/

Of course I wish her the best but isn't she the one who did an interview drunk in the white house?

[Charlie Brown]

1. get well, Betty

She's done a lot of good work for others.

[CottonBear]

2. There is no need to disparage Mrs. Ford and her battle with alcoholism.

I wish her the best. She was the First Lady during a difficult time in our country. She raised children who grew up to be decent adults. I have nothing bad to say about her.

[Cooley Hurd]

5. Agreed - alcoholism can hit anyone on both sides of the political spectrum

I wish Mrs. Ford the best!:thumbsup:

[DemoTex]

7. Betty Ford's courage to face her addictions has saved thousands.

The Betty Ford Clinic. Betty Ford did more to de-stigmatize substance abuse than any one else I can think of. Get well soon, Betty.

[Blue Diadem]

10. plus she went public about her breast cancer

and has helped increase awareness of the importance of mammography. She has several centers named in her honor.

[DemoTex]

11. Good point.

Good works, all. Bless her heart.

[yorkiemommie1]

25. the day she went public

i was still quite young and uninformed about breast cancer. well, i immediately checked myself for the first time, and found a lump which tested out negative. i am grateful to her for bringing that issue out.

[Blue Diadem]

41. I'm so glad for you that it was negative.

I went through a scare myself in my late 20's so I really do understand. I think Betty Ford's bringing it to a nation's attention has likely saved many women's lives.

[goclark]

20. Get better Betty!

[fooj]

15. Agreed.

Peace.

[jackster]

21. she was INSTRUMENTAL

in getting the country to look at rehabilitation for alcohol and drugs back in the 70's - she may be republican - but she's progressive.

Get Well Betty - you are a great lady.

[wicket]

29. Amen & thank-you

:hug:

[AlCzervik]

3. I wish her well.

[brentspeak]

4. I don't know about that interview. It doesn't really matter, though.

Hope she gets well soon.

[ClintonTyree]

6. She had some problems, sure....

but all in all not a bad woman at all and she ended up helping a lot of people with substance abuse problems. A lot of RICH people in HER clinic, but she made great strides in getting people to talk about as a disease instead of a character flaw.

Hope she gets better, but at her age.........

[izzie]

8. She always seemed pretty normal to me. Little good and little bad

We all should be so lucky

[Blue Diadem]

9. I hope she gets well soon. n/t

[bigscott]

13. she did do that

but all her good works in helping and influencing thousands with alcoholism (me included)owe her a great deal. To say nothing about her cancer awareness work. God Bless you Mrs Ford

[LSparkle]

12. God bless Betty Ford -- she's done some great work

Both on alcoholism and breast cancer. She and her husband are among the "old school" Republicans I can still admire. I hope she gets well soon.

[saigon68]

14. They weren't liars and War Criminals

Although the timing and style of his "EXIT from Viet-Nam" was less than stellar

Good old Kissinger the War Criminal is responsible for that.

[UrbScotty]

16. Thoughts and prayers (nt)

[OzarkDem]

17. She was also the first to go public about her breast cancer

a watershed moment in women's health care, she was the first well known public figure to talk about it openly.

Until then, no one realized what a widespread problem it was.

She's in my prayers, I hope everything is ok.

[Skittles]

23. yes, and she spoke out about addiction problems too

very loudly - I have always admired her for that and I wish her well

[Justitia]

18. That interview was downright painful to watch. I felt nothing but pity &

sympathy for her, and not in a condescending way.
I always wondered why no one had the good sense to call a halt to it, and not air it.
I saw no benefit to publicly embarrassing Betty Ford while she was battling what was obviously a very serious addiction.

I even felt sorry for Nicole Bush when she tried to obtain anti-anxiety meds illegally the night before starting a new job (it's entirely up for debate as to whether she rec'd preferential treatment in the handling of her case).
I've been thru a few anxiety attacks - not fun.
Besides, if my dad was Jeb Bush, I'd probably be popping Xanax like they were Tic-Tacs.

Anyway, I hope Betty Ford has a speedy recovery.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mike_c]

22. ROTFLMAO....

random journal indeed.... :rofl:

oh, and best wishes to Mrs. Ford, too!

[klook]

26. Sheesh - posted to wrong thread...sorry!!

I've asked the mods to delete it here.

But while I'm here, let me just say that I wish only the best for Mrs. Ford. She and her husband seem like good people, for Republicans.

[kstewart33]

24. She's a great lady.

Hope nothing serious is wrong with her.

[deadparrot]

27. Best wishes to her.

I hope she's out and about soon.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

28. She was a lot more fun

when she was stoned.

No, really. She came forth about breast cancer without hesitation, and she did the world a whole lot more good than the subsequent facelifts and bogus "cures" for chemical dependency. I am convinced that the "Betty Ford" industry has contributed more to our failure as a nation than can be imagined.

Twenty-eight days of self-indulgent claptrap, and you're cured.

It's nothing but an insurance industry ripoff of "Just Say No." And just as effective.

She was a great stoner, though, and some friends of mine - old, old folks - lived near them in Alexandria, before he ascended to the Presidency. They were great partygivers and -goers, and really wonderful people, I am told.

You have to admit, they fell into some deep and lucky shit when Nixon picked Ford for his Veep, but I'll never forgive him for that pardon. Never.

[Strong Atheist]

30. Ah, good luck to her. nt.

[Raine]

31. I LOVE Betty Ford

and wish her all the best, Get well soon Betty!

[rppper]

32. best wishes to mrs. ford

as an addictions specialist myself, her going public with her disease was monumental in millions of people seeking help for their various addictions. good luck and god bless.....

[ronnykmarshall]

33. Get well soon, Be-TAY!

I loves me some Be-TAY!

[Beaverhausen]

34. Hope it's nothing serious

What a tremendous gift she gave us when she helped make alcohol recovery acceptable.

[ngGale]

35. A brave woman who has helped others...

best wishes, Mrs. Ford.

[Paladin]

36. I'll Tell You Why I Continue To Cut Betty Ford Some Slack

Doesn't anybody besides me remember how conservative pundits savaged her during her husband's administration? They hated her for her open-mindedness and charitable nature. Bill Murchison, that nasty little weasel at the Dallas "Morning News" at the time, routinely dumped on her in that insufferable, affected, neo-Victorian way he exhibits to this day. Lots of others did the same.

Here's hoping she makes a full recovery.....

[CTyankee]

37. Hey, she was a PRO CHOICE Republican!!!

Remember them? A good lady.

[Catchawave]

38. Bless her heart, get well Betty....

:hug:

[mountainvue]

39. Mrs. Ford was an ERA supporter and did much

for those who suffer from addictions. She's aces in my book. I hope she gets well soon.

[Beaverhausen]

40. Looks like it was routine tests, thank goodness

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060420/people_nm/ford_dc_2

Betty Ford undergoes routine medical tests 1 hour, 44 minutes ago


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former first lady Betty Ford visited the Eisenhower Medical Center on Thursday to undergo routine medical tests and was expected to return home later in the day, a family spokeswoman said.

Ford, 88, has been in generally good health recently and there was no cause for concern, said Penny Circle, the spokeswoman at the family's office in Rancho Mirage, California.

"It's nothing out of the ordinary," Circle said, adding that she expected the former first lady back home later in the day, though one of her tests had been delayed.

Former President Gerald Ford, hospitalized in January for about 10 days with pneumonia, was at the couple's home near the hospital, also in Rancho Mirage, the spokeswoman said.


***more at the link***

[Weembo]

42. Don't accept a transfusion from Barbara!!!

You'll turn into a vampire!!!!

[EFerrari]

43. God bless you, Betty and may s/he bring some light

to your detractors.

You did so much to help people struggling with addiction. More than anyone I can think of.

You are in my family's thoughts, prayers and wishes.

[WildEyedLiberal]

44. I hope she gets better soon!

I respect Betty Ford very much - every woman should. She lifted the veil of shame from substance abuse, brought breast cancer awareness to the public forefront, and support the ERA. Betty is a special lady.

[Gloria]

45. I met her at the Eatontown Mall sometime back in the mid to late

70's. She was actually doing some sort of appearance there and I went. I recall that she was VERY tiny!! I shook her hand.

By the way, I shook Hillary's hand back in '92 after she did a campaign speech at Rutgers New Brunswick, NJ. She also is very small and has the palest skin you could ever imagine....

[GoddessOfGuinness]

46. Wishing Betty well...

and happy too...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[CBHagman]

47. I wish her good news from the doctors.

She was always an outspoken woman and did not hide her difficulties from the rest of the world. When the history of the treatment of addiction is written, Betty Ford's name will come up, and that is no dishonor. Quite the contrary.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

48. Sending best wishes to Mrs Ford. n/t

[David Zephyr]

49. One of the best First Ladies ever.

Not the best, but one of the best.

I like Betty Ford a lot. A lot.

[Hekate]

50. Get well Mrs Ford, you're a brave lady with a lot of common sense

When someone in the "news" media asked her what she'd do if her daughter was having an affair, Betty Ford forthrightly said, "I hope she'd talk to me about it." The theocons sharpened their knives.

She had the courage to face her own addictions -- to alcohol, and to prescribed painkillers -- to not only go public, but to found the famous clinic to encourage others to get help. We like to make jokes about "the Betty", but it was a pioneer.

She was the first woman in public life that I know of who went public with her breast cancer diagnosis, thus sparking national dialog/education that saved many lives.

I wish her well.

Hekate

[spinbaby]

51. Former First Lady Betty Ford Returns Home!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060421/ap_on_re_us/betty_ford_3

[ronnykmarshall]

52. Yah Ba-TAY!

:loveya: