Nancy Reagan Says Husband Is ‘Fine’

Former President Ronald Reagan is doing “fine” since his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, although the mind-crippling illness is wrenching for his wife, the former First Lady said Saturday.

In an interview on CNN’s “Larry King Weekend,” Nancy Reagan would not elaborate on her husband’s physical condition. But, “there’ve been better” days, she said.

King asked if Alzheimer’s is harder on loved ones than patients. “That’s true,” Nancy Reagan responded. Reflecting on the joys of her life, she added: “You pay for everything, don’t you?”

Ronald Reagan, 83, disclosed in November that he was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, an incurable neurological disorder that destroys the brain’s memory cells.

Nancy Reagan said she plans to film a public service announcement to bring attention to the disease.

She spent the interview reviewing her husband’s life through displays in his presidential library near Simi Valley. She also pointed out the couple’s burial plot, saying, “I don’t expect to jump in there any time soon.”