Former President Ronald Reagan Turns 92
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan (news) turned 92 on Thursday, increasingly isolated by Alzheimer's disease (news - web sites) from both his family and a troubled world over which he once held sway.
Reagan, one of the most popular presidents of the United States and now the longest-lived, spent his birthday at his Bel-Air home where he has been cared for by his wife Nancy, away from the public eye, for almost 10 years. He told the nation in 1994 that he was suffering from the degenerative brain disease.
Spokeswoman Joanne Drake said a "quiet celebration at home" was planned with Nancy, possibly including visits from his daughter Patti and son Michael. "My guess is that there will be chocolate on the menu somewhere," Drake said, referring to one of Reagan's favorite foods.
Drake said Reagan was "comfortable."
In a poignant interview last September, Nancy Reagan said she was no longer sure that her husband recognized her because of the deterioration he has suffered, adding that she missed reminiscing about their past together.
"The golden years are when you can sit back, hopefully, and exchange memories, and that's the worst part about this disease," she said. "There's nobody to exchange memories with, and...we had a lot of memories."
The mood was more upbeat at the Reagan Presidential Library in nearby Simi Valley, where free birthday cake and jelly beans -- another Reagan favorite -- were on offer and members of the public signed birthday cards to the former president.
Reagan, who has not been seen in public for several years, underwent hip surgery in 2001 after a fall at his home. He was born in 1911 when William Howard Taft was president. Only two other former U.S. presidents lived to see their 90th birthdays -- John Adams and Herbert Hoover. |
