Michelle Johnston: Nancy Reagan instrumental in Alzheimer’s fight
Re “Former First Lady stood by her man” (Page 1A. March 7): As many presidents mentioned in their remarks in tribute to former first lady Nancy Reagan, some of her best advocacy work focused on Alzheimer’s disease. Following President Ronald Reagan’s brave announcement of his Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in 1994, Nancy Reagan used her voice to represent families and increase awareness for Alzheimer’s disease. Their courage helped to bring discussions of Alzheimer’s disease out of the shadows and begin to change the national conversation about Alzheimer’s.
Nancy Reagan was a long-standing honorary member of the Alzheimer’s Association National Board of Directors, and her involvement in the cause inspired the Alzheimer’s community of families, caregivers and researchers. We do not take for granted the amazing influence she had as an advocate for the Alzheimer’s cause, and we will continue to aggressively pursue greater awareness, support for fa milies and research that will slow, stop and ultimately cure Alzheimer’s disease.
Michelle Johnston, Regional Director, Alzheimer’s Association, Sacramento
This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 8:31 AM with the headline "Michelle Johnston: Nancy Reagan instrumental in Alzheimer’s fight."