Famous people with neurological degenerative Alzheimer's disease remind us that there is currently no prevention, cure, or discrimination when it comes to diagnosis. Political figures, actors, and athletes alike can use their recognition to draw attention to the need for research, early diagnosis, and increased awareness. Ironically, however, the disease makes it extremely difficult for such figures to make public appearances, as they cannot reliably deliver speeches or interact with the media when their memory and functionality are in decline.
Perhaps the best known victim, of course, was the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. He dramatically increased public awareness of the tragic disease through his personal education and fundraising mission. In 1983, he declared November National Alzheimer's Month to draw attention to the growing number of older people succumbing to weakness. He founded the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute, in coordination with the Alzheimer's Association, to explore possible causes and courses of treatment, especially focusing on early detection. When he passed away in 2004, he left a lasting legacy of research funds to benefit a country that now better understands and appreciates the tragic condition.
Other political figures have not been as public about his Alzheimer's disease. The modern American conservative of the 1960s, Barry Goldwater, who died of Alzheimer's in 1998, lived his last years in private. Experts still disagree whether Sir Winston Churchill, Britain's prime minister, suffered from Alzheimer's disease or a dementia associated with strokes. A family doctor insists that Churchill did not have the neurological disorder, but many of his symptoms are consistent with Alzheimer's. More than anything, this speaks to the shame and uncertainty surrounding a proper diagnosis.
Charlton Heston, actor and political activist, is among the few celebrities who still have Alzheimer's. Heston became famous in the 1950s for epics like The Ten Commandments. He remained popular for three decades, starring in adventures, westerns, and winning two Oscars. After retiring from acting, he took up conservative causes, notably as President of the National Rifle Association. He advocated for progress in Alzheimer's disease after being diagnosed in 2001. On behalf of the Academy of Molecular Imaging, Heston released a public service announcement urging those without Alzheimer's symptoms to use a new screening method, PET scans. of the brain. Positron emission tomography can diagnose Alzheimer's very early and offers patients the opportunity to enjoy their symptom-free time.
Other actors, like the classic Hollywood pin-up Rita Hayworth from the 1940s and the ultra-masculine Charles Bronson from the 1960s, also had Alzheimer's disease. As they were diagnosed late and did not have the kind of public support recently obtained, the climate of our country did not allow them to make statements before their death. Similarly, boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and singer Perry Como suffered from advanced Alzheimer's in the last years of their private lives, succumbing to the disease in 1989 and 2001, respectively.