Reagan

Heading into Presidents Day weekend we had the opportunity to watch a documentary this week on one of the most respected and beloved leaders of our time – Ronald Reagan. Characteristics that pervaded his remarkable life included a dogged determination to stand by his core principles and the ease in which he was able to share his optimism for the nation. Five years after leaving office, he made a speech announcing that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. In true Reagan style, he ended with this optimistic view: "I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead." The average life expectancy after diagnosis with Alzheimer's is eight years. Reagan died in 2004 at age 93, which was 11 years after diagnosis. While Reagan certainly inspired hope and change, we also saw his humanity, especially in the last days of his presidency when the first signs of Alzheimer's began to show, and in his final years at home when the dreaded disease drained the memories from his incredible life. There was one sad incident during his last year in the White House when the memory loss reared its ugly head. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was being honored and President Reagan gave the short introduction. When he finished there was applause, but then he began to recite the same introduction again. Ironically, Thatcher was also later diagnosed with Alzheimer's, living 11 years before passing away in 2008. After Reagan retired to private life, the documentary shared another story through his devoted and very protective wife Nancy. One day Reagan walked into a room and Nancy saw that he was cupping something in his hand. She saw it was a small replica of the White House that had once been part of his fish tank. When Nancy asked why he had it in his hand, Reagan answered that he didn't know but that he thought "it has something to do with me." These sad stories about one of our greatest leaders and communicators show how the dreaded Alzheimer's disease is no respecter of persons. One news source reported that more than five million Americans are living with the illness and that a new case is diagnosed every 70 seconds. Researchers are waging a preventive fight in hopes of reducing the risk or completely preventing the debilitating disease from getting started. Taking the lead in the study is the Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix, Ariz. Some 50,000 people will be used in the new study, which includes taking experimental drugs and vaccines. That number includes residents of Madellin, Colombia, which has the largest concentration of families who have a rare gene defect known to cause Alzheimer's. People there have developed the disease while in their 40s so researchers are anxious to see how the brain is affected by those using the drug therapy. Even though there may be side effects, families that have been torn by the effects of Alzheimer's are eager to participate. Being able to detect a fingerprint of the disease at an early stage can hopefully attack it before it builds to a point where it begins stealing memories years later. As for recognizing the early signs of Alzheimer's, one doctor's simple self-diagnosis is worth noting. He says if you lose your car keys, it's a sign of old age, but if you don't remember what those keys are for, it's something more serious. By Jim Zbick jzbick@tnonline.com