NANCY REAGAN: a tribute

The U.S. Secret Service called her “Rainbow.” We as a nation called her first lady. And for 52 beautiful years, until his death in 2004, President Ronald Reagan called her his wife.

But on March 6, 2016, former first lady Nancy Reagan died of congestive heart failure at the age of 94. The news evoked responses from most well-known political figures, including President Barack Obama and each of the current Republican nominees.

Nancy Reagan was described as a graceful woman, who embodied “charm, grace and passion,” according to usatoday.com. Obama even credited her with “redefining” the role of first lady. Former aide Michael Deaver went as far to say, “Without Nancy, there would have been no Governor Reagan, no President Reagan.”

The former actress stuck with her husband through their marriage. Per cnn.com, she never left Ronald Reagan’s side while he was in the hospital from an assassination attempt in 1981. Even when he contracted Alzheimer’s, she was there with our former president every step of the way. She cared for him. Watched over him. Protected him, just as he had done for our nation as president. In 2004, when Ronald Reagan lost his battle with Alzheimer’s, she became a spokeswoman for helping families cope with watching their family members battle the disease. Esquire.com writes that without her tireless advocacy, “Alzheimer’s research would not have progressed as far as it has.”

Admittedly, I did not know too much about Nancy Reagan. I knew who she was, who she was married to. And I only knew about the Secret Service calling her Rainbow because of a trivia game. But upon further reading and research, I became overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude. I was saddened by the fact it was now impossible for me to meet this woman and thank her in person.

My grandmother is currently battling Alzheimer’s and dementia. For a long period of time, we had her move in with us so my mother could better take care of her. As the years progressed, my grandmother’s mental state did the exact opposite. She began to forget things and people. At times, she would not recognize me, her husband or my mother.

My grandmother is currently in a nursing home, and my mother checks on her daily. She can do so with a greater wherewithal than she could when she first learned of my grandmother’s disease. She did a lot of research, and that research is there because of Nancy Reagan. Because of her dedication to caring for her husband and those fighting similar battles, my mother is far better equipped to assist her mother.

The love and compassion she displayed as a wife is something in and of itself worth admiring and remembering, but her refusal to leave other Alzheimer’s patients behind will remain engraved in my memory of our late first lady, Nancy Davis Reagan.