Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke to an audience of breast cancer survivors, their families and doctors Thursday evening in the Betts Theatre, paying homage to a woman whose courageous spirit inspired them all.

As Jo Oberstar, wife of U.S. Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), lay in a hospital recovery room, she told her husband breast cancer was going to kill her but that she wanted some good to come of it.

Now some good has come from it. After she succumbed to an eight-year battle with breast cancer in 1991 at GW Hospital, the Oberstar family dedicated a fund in her honor to the GW Cancer Center. The center used the gift to establish the Jo Oberstar Memorial Lecture, intended to raise public awareness of breast cancer, the leading type of cancer death among women 35 to 54.

“No longer are the words `breast cancer’ whispered in the shadows, shrouded in ignorance or even apathy,” Clinton said. “Today women with breast cancer grace the pages of People magazine.”

Clinton’s message was personal and professional, rallying for increased government support in the fight against breast cancer, a disease that touched the lives of many of her close friends and eventually claimed the life of her mother-in-law, Virginia Kelley, in 1994.

Clinton praised the GW Breast Care Center, headed by Program Director Jean Lynn, a nurse and close friend of Oberstar’s who treated her throughout her hospitalization. Recently awarded an $80,000 grant from Race for the Cure, the center’s outreach program specializes in bringing mammograms to women who might otherwise not have access to them. A 40-foot white “mammo-van” arrives daily in front of community centers and churches throughout D.C.

Clinton noted Jo Oberstar’s message of “faith, family and love.” She recalled her service to women in need of information and compassion.

“She told her children and other young people to complete their education,” Clinton said. “But to remember that at the end of your life, when you’re dying, degrees won’t come and hold your hand.”

Clinton also commended those who raise awareness of breast cancer, once a disease rarely discussed and widely misunderstood.

Citing recent advances in breast cancer research, detection and treatment, Clinton highlighted the efforts of diverse government agencies, from NASA’s tumor-locating silicon chips to the Department of Defense’s high-tech imaging research.

She said the Clinton administration established in 1993 the first National Action Plan on Breast Cancer, a public-private partnership with one goal – the complete eradication of breast cancer.

To make the dream a reality, Clinton has endorsed numerous strategies, which include wider access to mammograms, affordable health care and health insurance for cancer patients.

Increasing research spending also has topped the list of priorities in nearly every year of her husband’s administration, Clinton said. Funding for cancer research stands at $600 million; when James Oberstar took office in 1974, the government earmarked $30 million to fight the disease.

“A doctor friend of mine once said, `When it comes to breast cancer, ignorance is not bliss,'” Clinton said. “Women have to be aware of all of the various aspects of this disease and that is the purpose of this memorial lecture. Ultimately, it comes down to a question of commitment and courage.”

Jo Oberstar was praised for her work as a mother, a professional development consultant and a lifelong advocate of improving the status of women in the work force. She was also a member and leader of nonprofit organizations, working tirelessly to promote education and citizen action.