Ronald Reagan was once the most powerful man in the free world.

He served two terms as president and was credited with bringing down the Soviet Union, but soon he would not remember any of it.

"We could see a steady deterioration of the president. I believe that this was coming on slowly but surely ever since, perhaps, his last couple of years at the White House," Dana Rohrbacker said of the president's onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Reagan accepted his fate with the same grace and dignity that he had always shown in office. He sent a letter to the American people, beginning the way he began many of his speeches, "My fellow Americans ..."

He wrote: "We feel it is important to share it with you. In opening our hearts, we hope this might denote greater awareness of this condition. Perhaps it will encourage a clearer understanding of the individuals and families who are affected by it."

When the news came out, then-President Clinton was attending a Democratic rally in Oakland, Calif.

"I want every one of you to give Ronald Reagan a hand and wish him well and Godspeed as he deals with this illness," Clinton said.

A week later, Nancy Reagan made her first public appearance after the publication of Reagan's letter. As she autographed books at the Reagan library, she said her husband felt that it was important to tell people what was going on.

"It said everything in his letter. (Like) when I had my breast cancer and when he had his two cancers, going public and telling people about it encourages them to go have checkups and maybe prevent something further happening to them," she said.

Reagan was rarely seen in public after that. After giving so much of his life to the public, he spent his life in private with his family. And it was from the Reagan family that the public received updates on his condition. In late 1999, Nancy Reagan gave an interview to C-SPAN.

"It is probably the worst disease you could ever have ... because you lose contact," she told her interviewer.

She discussed the former president's deteriorating condition and the toll that it was taking.

"In our case, you're not able to share all those wonderful memories that we have. We had a wonderful life," she said.

Asked if she could hold a cohesive conversation with the president, she said, "Not now, no."

Daughter Maureen also went public a few months later in a nationally televised interview and said her father's motor skills were failing, and he could no longer speak coherently.

But the public did get a glimpse of the former president in early March, when a photo of the Reagans was released to coincide with the celebration of the couple's 48th wedding anniversary.

A week later, youngest daughter Patty Davis reminded the public that the disease had not robbed her father of his spirit.

In a column for the Los Angeles Times, Davis wrote, "My father's soul shines through his eyes."

She described a recent visit with her father.

"He winked at me, which hadn't happened in awhile," she said. "I missed his wink. I grew up with it. It said, 'Come on, don't take life too seriously.'"

Davis had this final message: "I want you to know that my father held onto my hand, his grip still strong, resilient. Older now, yes, but still the hand that built riding jumps from telephone poles, hoisted saddles and his small children onto horses, constructed science projects and assembled Christmas toys.

"His fingers gripped my hand with all that history. No disease takes that away."

For more information, or to donate, visit alz.org.