Betty Rollin (born January 3, 1936, in

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) has been an

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correspondent and author. Rollin's reports have won both the DuPont and Emmy awards. She now contributes reports for PBS's Religion and Ethics News Weekly. Rollin is a graduate of Fieldston Ethical Culture School and

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...

, where she was a classmate of

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

, as Ono mentioned on the Dick Cavett Show. Rollin was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1975, and again in 1984, each time losing a breast to the disease. Rollin discussed her cancer publicly and wrote about it in the book, ''First, You Cry''. to encourage public awareness and to give encouragement to others facing this disease. '' First, You Cry'' was made into a television movie starring

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), which ...

as Rollin. Rollin's mother Ida was diagnosed with terminal

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

in 1981, and Rollin helped her mother end her life in 1983. She revealed this in her book ''Last Wish,'' published in 1985 and republished in 1998. One critic called it "a document of personal compassion and public importance." The book has been published in 19 countries and was made into a TV movie in 1992 starring Patty Duke as Rollin and Maureen Stapleton as her mother. Since the book was published, Rollin has been active in the Death with Dignity movement. She is now on the advisory board of Compassion and Choices. She lived with her husband, mathematician Dr. Harold Edwards, in Manhattan until his death in 2020. They had no children.

Books

* ''First, You Cry'' (1976) * ''Last Wish'' (1985) * ''Am I Getting Paid for This?: A Romance About Work'' (1986) * ''Here's the Bright Side: Of Failure, Fear, Cancer, Divorce, and Other Bum Raps'' (2007)

Books

References

See also