Former President Ronald Reagan's health has deteriorated, the White
House has been told.
The White House was informed that the 93-year-old former president's
health had changed significantly in the past several days, a person
familiar with Reagan's condition said Saturday.
Reagan has been out of the public eye since disclosing a decade ago that
he had Alzheimer's disease. He has lived longer than any other U.S.
president.
Rumors about Reagan's health arose Friday and his office in California
said it had received more than 300 calls over the past two days.
"He's 93 years old. He's had Alzheimer's disease for 10 years. There are
plenty of rumors. When there is something significant to report I will
do so," the Reagan family's chief of staff, Joanne Drake, told The
Associated Press on Saturday.
White House officials also checked on Reagan's health Friday. The White
House was told his health has deteriorated and "the time is getting
close," according to the person familiar with Reagan's health, who did
not want to be identified out of sensitivity to the family.
Reagan's condition has changed significantly for the worse in the past
several days, this person told The Associated Press.
News about Reagan's health came as President Bush arrived in the French
capital, the second stop on his trip to Europe.
Alzheimer's toll
Former first lady Nancy Reagan, at a fund-raiser last month for human
embryonic research, described the toll that Alzheimer's has taken on her
husband.
"Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I
can no longer reach him," she said. "Because of this I'm determined to
do whatever I can to save other families from this pain. I just don't
see how we can turn our backs on this."
Nancy Reagan and others believe the use of stem cells from embryos could
lead to cures for such illnesses as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Such research is generally opposed by political conservatives and many
anti-abortion groups because it involves the destruction of days-old
human embryos. President Bush signed an executive order in 2001 limiting
research to existing embryonic stem cell lines.
Reagan celebrated his birthday Feb. 6 in seclusion at his Los Angeles
home. The nation's 40th chief executive, who broke his hip in a fall at
his home in 2001, has rarely been seen in public since his poignant
letter announcing he had the memory-sapping disease.
In that note on Nov. 5, 1994, Reagan said, "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."