It’s easy to take for granted how openly we talk about breast cancer today—mammograms, treatment options, research, survivorship. But not that long ago, women were often left in the dark about their own diagnoses and had remarkably little say in their care.
In Radical Sisters, bestselling author Judith Pearson tells the remarkable stories of three very different women—Shirley Temple Black, journalist Rose Kushner and Estée Lauder executive Evelyn Lauder—who helped change that. They never met, but each turned her own experience with breast cancer into action that transformed how women talk about the disease, advocate for themselves and access care.
We talked with Judith about the women behind the movement, the battles they fought and why their stories and their courage still matter today.
You write about a time when breast cancer was barely spoken about and women were often expected to simply accept whatever treatment their doctors recommended. What was it actually like to receive a breast cancer diagnosis when Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner, and Evelyn Lauder did?
Several things were at play in the 1970s and 1980s. First, it was still very much the dark ages in women’s health. Like most other aspects of life, women were just expected to not question anything.
Most doctors were men. They didn’t feel they needed to explain themselves, and some harbored the opinion that women were too emotional and not smart enough to understand anyway. Doctors actually asked husbands, fathers, and brothers (sitting in surgical waiting rooms) their preference regarding their loved one’s breast cancer surgery.
It’s the funny thing about breasts: they’re so adored, and so ignored. While men loved to ogle them, they couldn’t fathom the devastation women felt when their breasts were unceremoniously cut off.
Lastly, many people equated a cancer diagnosis with a death sentence, so even the word was said in hushed tones, if at all. Oncology was in its infancy. We didn’t completely understand how cancer spread. And half the population still believed the myths that cancer was contagious and self-induced.
These three women came from very different worlds and never actually met. What made you see them as “Radical Sisters,” and what did they have in common that allowed each of them to turn a frightening personal diagnosis into a force for change?
Let me start with a secret: I originally wanted Rose’s biography. But since her name wasn’t familiar, my editor and agent ganged up on me, urging me to add Shirley and Evelyn. I pouted for a minute, and then agreed. And I’m so glad I did!
The fact that they didn’t know one another, and came from vastly different worlds, made the arc of their advocacy so much more powerful. It exemplified perfectly that cancer doesn’t discriminate. Rich or poor. Famous or unknown. Republican or Democrat. These women were a combination of all those traits and (I hope) serve as a lesson in courage to my readers.
Shirley Temple Black was one of the first major public figures to openly discuss having breast cancer. How radical was that decision at the time, and what changed because someone so famous was willing to speak publicly about it?
As I said above, for Shirley to even be willing to say the word “cancer” out loud in 1972 was groundbreaking. It was a big part of her mission, which she formulated twenty-four hours after her surgery.
First, she called a press conference in her hospital room. Dressed in a demure night gown, with a gardenia in her hair, Shirley told reporters, and on camera, about finding a lump herself. (That, too, was groundbreaking. She touched her breasts? Oh my!) And she urged women not to sit home and be afraid, which a lot of women still do today. By the way, that video is searchable on the internet and well worth the watch.
But Shirley wanted greater reach. She said she had an overwhelming urge to “help her sisters.” So she wrote a four page article for the very popular McCall’s magazine. Again, it was unprecedented and overwhelmingly applauded. Women who’d been through breast surgery had felt ashamed, some even having considered suicide, wrote to Shirley thanking her for her honesty. One said that if someone as famous and beautiful as Shirley could have a positive attitude after breast cancer, she could as well.
Rose Kushner challenged a medical establishment in which women had remarkably little control over their own treatment. What did she fight to change, and which patient rights we take for granted today can be traced back to her advocacy?
Rose was a wife, mother, and journalist, just trying to break into publishing. It’s hard. I know!
Diagnosed in 1974, Rose was incensed when she learned the status quo in breast cancer treatment. Doctors would assure women they’d be fine before they underwent their biopsy. But what many women didn’t understand was that if the doctor found that their lump was cancer, they’d perform a mastectomy on the spot. No discussion, no preparation. Just amputation.
And it wasn’t just a mastectomy, it was a radical mastectomy. Radical is the Latin word for “root.” The doctor who perfected it in the 1890s did so trying to get to the root of a woman’s cancer. The surgery removed breasts, lymph nodes, minor and major pectoral muscles (leaving a woman forever unable to raise that arm), and sometimes rib cages and clavicles. Eighty years later, it was still the preferred surgery.
Rose refused both those protocols, traveling from her home in Baltimore to Buffalo, New York, to find a surgeon performing modified mastectomies, taking just the breast and lymph nodes. She, too, began writing, publishing the first, patient-focused breast cancer book because she’d been unable to find any information for herself.
Next, she created a hot line for patient support at a time when nothing else existed. She testified before Congress for better practices, birth control pill legislation, and mandated insurance coverage of mammography and breast reconstruction.
Finally in 1979, because of Rose, the National Cancer Institute declared that the one-step biopsy and radical mastectomies were no longer best practices.
Evelyn Lauder used her influence and business platform to make breast cancer impossible to ignore. How did her work with the pink ribbon, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and breast cancer care and research change the movement?
Evelyn was Estée Lauder’s daughter-in-law, and became the senior vice president after her husband assumed the company reins when Estée retired. In 1988, Evelyn also found a lump in her breast, and was diagnosed with breast cancer.
After treatment, she realized how difficult it was to cross Manhattan for different appointments.
“Women have supported us for decades,” she said. “It’s time for us to return the favor.”
She envisioned a “department store” concept for breast care. Together with her oncologist and friend, Dr. Larry Norton, they created the first comprehensive breast cancer center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Their work wasn’t done however. They teamed up again to create the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in 1993. Today, it is the largest private grantor for research into the disease.
But it is a project in between these two that is by far the best known. In 1992, Evelyn and her friend, Alexandra Penny, editor of Self magazine, were looking for a symbol to create more awareness for breast cancer. Diagnoses and deaths were far outpacing research dollars and women were avoiding self-exams and mammograms. The AIDS movement had created a red ribbon for awareness. Evelyn and Alexandra wanted to do something similar.
They learned a California grandmother was distributing peach ribbons for breast cancer, so they called her to collaborate. But grandma said no, and hung up on them. Distraught, Evelyn contacted the corporate attorney. His advice? Pick another color. Pink was Evelyn’s favorite, and voilà, the pink ribbon was born,
Today, we openly talk about mammograms, treatment options, survivorship, and breast cancer awareness. Have we become so accustomed to that progress that we’ve forgotten how revolutionary it was—and the women who made it possible?
As a 14-year breast cancer survivor, I can tell you from experience that before my diagnosis, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Even after I heard those words, all I could focus on was trudging through the cancer jungle, praying to survive.
When I learned about the magnificent work of these three, however, I couldn’t believe no one had ever written about them. Yet what they did, many survivors do: look for a way to help others in similar situations. Because by helping others, by shining your energy out to the world, you will heal yourself, without even realizing what’s happening.
There are books about all kinds of heroes: military heroes, sports heroes, science heroes, super heroes. Why not cancer heroes?
Of everything you uncovered while researching these women, what surprised you most?
I write the kind of books I like to read. Sometimes when I say biography, I see peoples’ eyes glaze over. My goal is to draw my readers deep into the main characters’ lives.
What was their past? Our pasts make us who we became.
What did they do and how did they do it? Maybe they weren’t so very different from us.
How can I tell the story in such a way that will inspire others? After all, isn’t that the point? We read in order to learn, to be entertained, and hopefully to be changed.
If Shirley, Rose, and Evelyn could see breast cancer care and advocacy today, what do you think would make them most proud—and where would they tell us there is still work to be done?
I love this question because it gives me the opportunity to toss out my favorite quote. In 1915, the RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U boat. A pioneering woman architect, Theodate Pope, survived the sinking, but suffered horrible survivors’ guilt.
Mary Cassatt, the wonderful artist and Theodate’s friend, consoled her, saying, “If you were saved, it is because you have something else to do in this world.”
I think Shirley, Rose, and Evelyn would tell us something similar: “You’ve been saved by our work. Now go help save someone else.”
Judith Pearson is a best-selling author, an accomplished presenter, and a graduate of Michigan State University. But her favorite title is “story teller,” with a little “research junkie” thrown in. Those characteristics have resulted in six biographies, including award-winners and a best-seller. Her last three books won a Nautilus Gold Award, a bronze Florida Book Award, and a gold Florida Book Award. Like all of her books, her current work in progress includes her favorite theme: courage.
An accomplished presenter, Judith has turned her books’ subjects into presentations viewed by thousands in the U.S. and the U.K.
She was named one of Chicago’s Most Inspirational Women, named a Phoenix Healthcare Hero, and the Honorary Chair of the Education & Libraries and Health & Wellness committees of the Greater Federation of Women’s Clubs.
Judy’s passion is writing stories that inspire. She and her husband live on Florida’s beautiful gulf coast, where long beach walks ignite her creativity.
Women have spent decades fighting to be heard when it comes to their health. Explore more of our conversations about women’s health here.
