In an interview with staff writer Amir Baig, U.S. House Rep. Debbie Dingell D-Mich. reflected on the life of Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady who died this week at the age of 96, in Plains, Ga. 

Transcript below

“She was a very good woman. I wasn’t informed by my staff. I pay attention to the news every hour. I knew that she was in hospice. I’ve known her for many years. When I first married my husband, which was a long time ago, and now he has passed, Rosalynn Carter and Betty Ford are two of the women that were very good to me and helped me. There was a significant age difference between my husband and I, they
were supportive and loving and compassionate and helped and knew that I had a love affair with my husband. She had a love affair with their husband. They had a love affair, like none, you’ve seen with almost anyone. And the thing that I respect the most about Rosalyn Carter was
her wanting to remove the stigma attached to mental health issues, to talk about them openly to have people be willing to deal with them.
She was a gentle soul. She was compassionate. And yet she had a steely spine. She was empathetic and compassionate,
strong and courageous.”