breast cancer

First, You Speak Out: Betty Rollin Started the Breast Cancer Dialogue

Bill Thompson

In the mid-1970s Betty Rollin was a rising star at NBC News, racking up prestigious awards for her work.

She didn’t realize that the most important story she would ever cover would be her own.

Rollin was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1975. And even though the disease claimed tens of thousands of lives every year, it got little public attention.

That is, until Rollin wrote a book about her experience, a landmark book that has helped millions of women get through their own diagnoses. Rollin called her book First, You Cry.

Get your copy of Betty Rollin’s book

That book is now widely credited with opening the door and helping the nation start a dialogue about breast cancer.

First, You Cry was republished in 1993, some 16 years after its initial publication.That’s when I met the dynamic and witty Betty Rollin.

So here now, from 1993, Betty Rollin.

Betty Rollin.lived for another 30 years after our interview. She died in 2023 by assisted suicide at the age of 87.

Phyllis Newman: Tony Winner’s Winning Cancer Battle

Bill Thompson

Phyllis Newman made her Broadway debut in 1952, when she was 19. Just a few years later she won a Tony award for Best Featured ACtress in a Musical. More awards came her way, and she was soon in demand on Broadway and in television.

She was frequently on the TV game shows “What’s My Line?”, “To Tell The Truth,” and “The Match Game: and guest starred on dozens of popular series.

Get your copy of Phyllis Newman’s book

But off screen, in the mid-1980s, she faced her biggest life challenge: she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

After her recovery, she wrote a memoir called Just In Time. I met her while she was on tour promoting that book.

So here now, from 1988, Phyllis Newman.,

Phyllis Newman, breast cancer survivor, lived for another 31 years after our interview. She passed away in 2019 at the age of 86.