Thoughts and prayers to Ron, Nanacy, their family and loved ones.
Posted on 09/24/2002 3:27:01 PM PDT by Sweet_Sunflower29
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former first lady Nancy Reagan says in a interview to be broadcast Wednesday on CBS that she is no longer sure that her husband, ex-President Ronald Reagan, recognizes her because of the deterioration he has suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
In an interview with Mike Wallace to be shown CBS's "60 Minutes II," Mrs. Reagan says that life with the 91-year-old former president has become sad and lonely but that she and her sometimes estranged daughter Patti have reconciled and that her husband may sense that.
"The golden years are when you can sit back, hopefully, and exchange memories and that's the worst part about this disease: there's nobody to exchange memories with and ... we had a lot of memories," Mrs. Reagan said.
Mrs. Reagan said that her husband did not know they recently had their 50th wedding anniversary and Mrs. Reagan told Wallace, "I'd love to talk to him about it and there were times when I had to catch myself because I'd reach out and start to say, 'Honey remember when?"' Asked if he still recognized her, she said, "I don't know."
But she said she thinks her daughter might be right when she says that the former president senses that mother and daughter patched up their differences. "(Patti) thinks he has gotten a feeling of the two of us together and, as she says, his soul doesn't have Alzheimer's."
Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, revealed in 1994 that he had Alzheimer's. The disease caused him to fail to recognize old friends or even recall that he was president but for a while his physical robustness remained and he exercised by playing golf.
But he became more and more frail as time went by and had difficulty moving about in his home in the exclusive Bel-Air district of Los Angeles, where his second wife, Nancy, became his primary care giver.
Well, if you ever decide to be the primary caregiver for someone YOU love who has Alzheimer's, maybe you'll come to be a bit easier on Nancy. She is doing a wonderful service for her husband. Though I'm sure she has lots of help with the physical part of his care, the mental burden is mostly on her as she faces this loss.
I hope she continues to talk to him about their memories. Sometimes Alzheimer's patients remember the distant past, when it is the most recent past which they have lost completely. This is why many regress to memories of their younger days, as is the case with my mother at this point. She's always wondering where my Daddy is, though he died 21 years ago, and she has begun to worry that her mother and daddy are worried about her because they don't know where she is.
He probably would have had too much class to comment directly (remember when that was the tradition? -- GWHB remembered that one all through the Clinton administration), but he'd have made his thoughts known very eloquently.
Me neither. If it wasn't for Reagan, we wouldn't have to worry about Saddam Hussein OR the Afghan jihadists. I sure would love to know what he was thinking when he decided to support and supply those kooks.
I agree that Reagan should be honored highly. But I don't know how feasible placing his image on Mt. Rushmore would be.
Instead, I think he should replace Hamilton on the $10 dollar bill.
Screw "feasible." If it's "possible," DO IT!
It certainly is. My Aunt passed away just yesterday. But her mind had been gone for the better part of 10 years. She didn't know me the last time I saw her. At the end she didn't know anyone. My father, who's older than his sister was, seems to be going down the same path. It so happened that he was home alone when the call telling of his sister's death came in. When my mother and brother returned and asked if anyone had called, he remembered a call and that someone had died, but he didn't know who had called, nor who had died. Worse, from my perspective, is that he wasn't able to attend the state fair this year, probably the first time since he got back from occupation duty after World War II. Attending and showing animals, horses, pidgeons and chickens, was an important part of his life. And it's loss hit me, if not him, very hard.
Since my Aunt was fond of the Irish Melody "Danny Boy" especially when my cousin, a professional singer and entertainer, would sing it, I'm providing a link to a midi and lyrics of that tune in her memory. Since President Reagan was of Irish descent, I'm sure it's appropriate when thinking of him also. Incidently her youngest grandson is named "Danny"
If Al Gore ever gets alzheimer's no matter how bad it gets he'll never forget that he invented the internet.
Right. IF.
Tell ya what. I'm a businessman, so let's cut a deal:
Split the difference and put him on BOTH.
There. How about it?
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