Shirley Temple: Cancer Trailblazer
Shirley Jane Temple Black, born 23 April 1928; died 10 February 2014
Saturday afternoons. Old black and white movies. A golden-haired, ringleted and dimpled Shirley Temple singing and tap-dancing her way into our hearts in a little corner of my Irish childhood. Not everyone shares my affection for the precocious child actress, but there is no denying that the woman she became did so much to open up a public discussion on breast cancer. In 1972 when she was diagnosed, breast cancer was a dreaded disease which involved mutilation, fear, shame and death. She made the decision to announce her mastectomy to the media, becoming one of the first prominent women to speak openly about breast cancer, and encouraging other women who required the surgery to follow her example without fear.
I loved her when I was a little girl. And what a woman she turned out to be. She left a positive mark on this world and a lasting legacy.
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I didn’t know she was a member of the pink ribbon club; thanks for educating me. I was 3 years old when she had her mastectomy. While not enough progress has been made, IMHO, in halting the progression of this disease, I’m certain much has improved in the surgery at least.
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Thank you for the tribute to this precocious girl and courageous woman. We need more people like her to speak up on topics where our single or collective voices can make a difference. XOX
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Marie, she was a breast cancer trailblazer indeed. Shirley Temple Black will surely be missed in the world.
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I adored shirley temple when I was a little girl – I got my Mom to do my hair in ringlets like her.
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