He gets all the headlines and applause, but what about me? She was 47 years old. But she felt much older. 他占据了所有的头条和掌声，但我呢？她当时47岁。但她觉得自己老了很多。

The pills dulled the pain, and a drink or two in the evening helped her to relax. 药片减轻了疼痛，晚上喝上一两杯有助于她放松。

On Oct. 10, 1973, President Nixon's Vice President Spiro Agnew pleaded guilty to tax evasion and resigned. Nixon replaced Agnew with Jerry, who was sworn in as his family looked on. 1973年10月10日，尼克松总统的副总统斯皮罗·阿格纽承认逃税并辞职。尼克松让杰里代替了阿格纽，杰里在家人的注视下宣誓就职。

As Americans watched from their living rooms, they saw the Fords as the perfect all-American family: the handsome, athletic father, who worked hard to support his family; the beautiful housewife and mother; the four attractive, wholesome children. 当美国人在起居室里观看时，他们认为福特一家是完美的全美国家庭：英俊、健壮的父亲，努力工作养家；美丽的主妇和母亲；四个漂亮、健康的孩子。

Perfect from the outside looking in. In April 1974 Betty seemed drowsy at an event. One of the reporters called out, "Mrs. Ford, are you on something?" 从外面往里看是完美的。1974年4月，贝蒂在一次活动中显得昏昏欲睡。一个记者喊道：“福特太太，你有什么不舒服吗？”

Without hesitation, Betty answered, "Well, I do take Valium." Her frankness surprised the reporters, and they wanted to know more. 贝蒂毫不犹豫地回答：“嗯，我确实服用安定。”她的坦率让记者们大吃一惊，他们想知道更多。

Why? How much? "Valium, three times a day or sometimes Equagesic. That way, I'm more comfortable," she explained. 为什么？服用了多少？“安定，一天三次，有时吃阿司匹林和甲丙氨酯片剂。这样，我就舒服一些。”她解释道。

It didn't matter. There weren't going to be any more campaigns. At the end of Nixon's term, Jerry was going to retire. 没关系了。不会再有竞选活动了。尼克松任期结束时，杰里打算退休。

As the Watergate investigation closed in, Nixon resigned, and Ford was sworn in as President. Betty looked as though she might faint. 水门事件调查结束后，尼克松辞职，福特宣誓就任总统。贝蒂看上去好像要晕倒了。

Jerry went to the podium, and declared boldly, "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over." 杰里走上讲台，大胆地宣布：“我的美国同胞们，我们漫长的全国性噩梦结束了。”

For Betty, it felt as if the nightmare had just begun. She would recall August 9, 1974, as the saddest day of her life. 对贝蒂来说，噩梦似乎刚刚开始。她记得1974年8月9日是她一生中最悲伤的一天。

Soon after, a routine checkup revealed a lump in her right breast. 不久后，例行检查发现她右乳房有肿块。

At the time, cancer and breast were two words that were whispered, not broadcast, and rarely had a First Lady shared something so personal. 当时，“癌症”和“乳腺癌”这两个词都是低声说出来的，不能公之于众的，很少有第一夫人能说出这么私人的话。

Across the country, the phone lines at doctors' offices were inundated with calls from women looking to make appointments for breast exams. 在全国各地，医生办公室的电话被想预约乳房检查的女性打来的电话打爆了。

No longer was it a source of shame, but a disease like any other that needed to be addressed and treated. 它不再是羞耻的来源，而是一种疾病，就像其他任何需要治疗的疾病一样。

After Jerry lost the election in 1976 to Jimmy Carter, the couple moved to California. 976年，杰里在大选中败给吉米·卡特后，这对夫妇搬到了加利福尼亚。

Finally, Betty had everything she'd wanted: her husband was retired, they'd moved into their dream home. 终于，贝蒂得到了她想要的一切：她的丈夫退休了，他们搬进了他们梦想中的家。

Why then, if her dreams had come true, did she feel so empty? "I did a little self-prescription," she would admit later. 那么，如果她的梦想成真了，她为什么会感到如此空虚呢？“我自己开了个小药方，”她后来承认。

"If one pill is good, two must be better—and when I added vodka, I moved into a wonderful, fuzzy place where everything was fine, I could cope." “如果一粒是好的，那么两粒肯定更好——当我加了伏特加之后，我到了一个奇妙的、模糊的地方，在那里一切都很好，我都可以应付。”

Her  family  staged  an intervention. For nearly two hours, the family spoke about things  they'd  been  holding  inside  for  years. 她的家人进行了干预。在将近两个小时的时间里，这家人一直在谈论他们心里藏了很多年的东西。

Jerry was the first to speak. "Betty, the reason we're here is because we love you." 杰瑞第一个说话。“贝蒂，我们来这里是因为我们爱你。”

A psychiatrist suggested that Mrs. Ford get dressed, and, he told her, they'd be collecting her medications and disposing of them. 一位精神病医生建议福特太太穿好衣服，他告诉她，他们会帮她取药并处理掉。