Ronald Reagan: His letter about Alzheimer disease

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	The Health and Medical History of President
	Ronald Reagan: His letter about Alzheimer disease

Alzheimer disease

At one time Reagan "possessed a remarkable memory that his brother described as photographic" [8]. Soon after graduating from college, he auditioned for a sports announcer job by "re-creating the fourth quarter of a Eureka College football game from memory" [8]. (Reagan had played in the game.) As an actor, "much of Reagan's early career was spent in the B-film division, where his knack for quick memorization made him a valuable asset. Producers of B-films, as Reagan often put it, 'didn't want them good, they wanted them Thursday'" [8].

By contrast, as President, in his 70s, "He forgot the names of Cabinet officers, trusted aides and visiting dignitaries. In Brazil, he toasted the people of Bolivia" [8]. A friend tells Dr. Zebra of a film clip in which Reagan, as President, is asked a question, only to look completely blank until his wife Nancy whispers an evasive answer in his ear (audible to the camera), which Reagan then speaks.

Recovering from being shot (three months into his presidency), Reagan became disoriented in the intensive care unit. His physicians, therefore, pressed to have him moved to a hospital suite [1j]. Comment: In retrospect, this was probably a sign of Reagan's slipping mentation... yes, Dr. Zebra is aware of the many reasons people get disoriented in an ICU, but let's face it, it does not often happen to 40 year olds. This is especially true given a physician's statement that during Reagan's recovery "He always had a high pain threshold and required only small amounts of pain medication" [5a].

In 1993 Reagan became increasingly forgetful. Alzheimer disease was diagnosed during his annual visit to the Mayo Clinic in 1994. His condition was announced to the public in a letter to the American people on Nov. 5, 1994 [8]

Was Reagan symptomatic while in office? There was speculation about this in 1987, just after Reagan underwent his third major operation while in office (prostate). In response, Reagan held a press conference on March 19, 1987 in which he performed extremely well in front of a hostile press [11a].

Reagan's mother was "senile" for "a few years" before she died of atherosclerotic disease at age 80 [2].

More...

Below is the text of Reagan's letter to the American people concerning his diagnosis of Alzheimer disease [16]:

I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.
Upon learning this news, Nancy and I had to decide whether as private citizens we would keep this a private matter or whether we would make this news known in a public way.
In the past, Nancy suffered from breast cancer and I had my cancer surgeries. We found through our open disclosures we were able to raise public awareness. We were happy that as a result many more people underwent testing.
They were treated in early stages and we were able to return to normal, healthy lives.
So now, we feel it is important to share it with you. In opening our hearts, we hope this might promote greater awareness of this condition. Perhaps it will encourage a clearer understanding of the individuals and families who are affected by it.
At the moment I feel just fine. I intend to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this earth doing the things I have always done. I will continue to share life's journey with my beloved Nancy and my family. I plan to enjoy the great outdoors and stay in touch with my friends and supporters.
Unfortunately, as Alzheimer's disease progresses, the family often bears a heavy burden. I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience. When the time comes, I am confident that with your help she will face it with faith and courage.
In closing let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your president. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future.
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.
Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you.
Sincerely, Ronald Reagan

Comment: Since medical science cannot predict who will develop Alzheimer disease in the future, the only explanation for the use of the future tense in the first sentence is to soften the fact that Reagan was diagnosed as already having the disease. This softening was done, no doubt, to help deflect the question of whether Reagan had the disease while in office.

Resources

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Abrams, Herbert L. "The President Has Been Shot": Confusion, Disability, and the 25th Amendment in the Aftermath of the Attempted Assassination of Ronald Reagan. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1992. ISBN 0-393-03042-3 @ Amazon [a] pp. 59-60 [b] p. 74 [c] p. 64 [d] pp. 54-74 [e] pp. 197-198 [f] p. 198 [g] p. 202 [h] p. 204 [i] pp. 199-201 [j] p. 67
Altman, Lawrence K. Reagan vows to resign if doctor in White House finds him unfit. New York Times. 11 June 1980; A1, A28.
All the information from this article is not yet posted here.
Anonymous. Reagan to be honored with state funeral. Associated Press / Chicago Tribune. 6 June 2004, 6:57 CDT.
Available on the web at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/bal-funeral0606,1,2596318.story
Anonymous. Reagan legacy includes raising awareness of several diseases. Associated Press / CNN. 8 June 2004, 1:49 pm EDT.
Available on the web at: http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/06/05/reagan.health.ap
Beahrs, Oliver H. The medical history of Ronald Reagan. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. 1994; 178: 86-96. Pubmed. [a] p. 90
Dr. Zebra has not checked the correspondence about this article that appeared as J Am Coll Surg. 1994 Dec;179(6):763; author reply 763-4 (Pubmed 7952492 and 7952493).
Boller, Paul F. Jr. Presidential Anecdotes. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981. ISBN 0-19-502915-1 @ Amazon [a] p. 354
Bumgarner, John R. The Health of the Presidents: The 41 United States Presidents Through 1993 from a Physician's Point of View. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland & Company, 1994. ISBN 0-89950-956-8 @ Amazon [a] p. 281 [b] pp. 281-282 [c] p. 282 [d] pp. 282-283 [e] p. 283 [f] p. 282, citing page 318 of Donald Regan's book For the Record. [g] p. 285 [h] p. 286 [i] pp. 286-287
Devotes one chapter to each President, through Clinton. Written for the layperson, well-referenced, with areas of speculation clearly identified, Dr. Zebra depends heavily on this book. Dr. Bumgarner survived the Bataan Death March and has written an unforgettable book casting a physician's eye on that experience.
Cannon, Lou. Actor, Governor, President, Icon. Washington Post. 6 June 2004, page A1.
Deaver, Michael. [Interview]. Charlie Rose Show. KQED-TV, San Francisco, 14 June 2004.
Heimel, Cynthia. Combover Congress: how can we trust our leaders to manage impeachment when they can't even manage their hair?. Salon.com. Feb. 3, 1999.
Caveat emptor: no written source for these statements is known to Dr. Zebra. Available on the web at: http://www.salon.com/news/1999/02/03newsb.html
MacMahon, Edward B. and Curry, Leonard. Medical Cover-Ups in the White House. Washington, DC: Farragut, 1987. ISBN 0-918535-01-8 @ Amazon [a] p. 3
Page, Susan. Time-tested formulas suggest both Bush and Kerry will win on Nov. 2. USA Today. June 23, 2004.
Accessed through usatoday.com: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-06-23-bush-kerry-cover_x.htm
Pekkanen, John. The saving of the President. Washingtonian Magazine. August 1981; 113ff.
A fascinating moment-by-moment chronology of the events in the George Washington University Emergency Room. An account from Dr. Wesley Price appears on p. 116 of the same issue.
Sanchez, Rene. Reagan recovering at hospital after surgery. Washington Post. 14 January 2001, page A2.
Reynolds, John. How healthy is Reagan?. U.S. News and World Report. 8 Dec. 1980; pages 25-26.
An interview with Dr. Reynolds
Web page: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/Politics/reagan_letter.html
(Ronald Reagan's letter to the American people concerning his diagnosis of Alzheimer disease)
Web page: http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/71385b.htm
(Letter to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House on the Discharge of the President's Powers and Duties During His Surgery)
This letter is deposited in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The online version of the letter has been incorrectly annotated by the Library staff to underplay the seriousness of the condition Reagan had. The annotation says the operation was to remove a polyp, when it was actually to remove a malignant cancer well past the polyp stage.
Web page: http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/71385c.htm
(Letter to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House on the President's Resumption of His Powers and Duties Following Surgery)
Zucker, Howard. Personal communication. Baltimore, Maryland. circa 1987.
Zucker was in the emergency room at GW that day.
The Ronald Reagan web page at the White House.
(42 matches when checked in November 2003)

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