COLUMBIA, S.C. — Former Gov. Carroll Campbell Jr. has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, according to a letter the two-term Republican governor wrote "to the people of South Carolina."
The 61-year-old Campbell said in his letter Friday that he has been diagnosed with the early stages of the irreversible neurological disorder.
"I intend to remain active and involved," Campbell wrote. "I have set a goal to do everything within my power to support medical research."
The letter was published in Friday's issue of The (Columbia) State newspaper.
At 61, Campbell is a little younger than the usual Alzheimer's patients, who tend to be at least 65. Former President Reagan was 83 when he announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 1994.
The effects of the disease can last from two to 20 years, and there is no known cure. Some medicines can stall the onset of symptoms, which include memory loss, impairment of judgment, disorientation, personality change and loss of language skills.
"I intend to fight this illness," Campbell wrote. "I will not yield. This is my nature and my plan."
Campbell was a four-term congressman before he took office in 1986 as South Carolina's second Republican governor since Reconstruction. He easily won re-election in 1990 and might have won again four years later had state law not barred him from a third consecutive term.
After leaving office, Campbell began working for the Washington-based American Council of Life Insurers. But he has remained active in South Carolina politics and was instrumental in helping Texas Gov. George W. Bush win the state's 2000 Republican presidential primary. The win saved Bush's faltering campaign after a loss in New Hampshire.
In a statement, Bush said he and first lady Laura Bush "are profoundly saddened by the news" of Campbell's illness. "I know he'll fight this disease the way he's always fought for his convictions and the state he loves."
American Council of Life Insurers spokesman Herb Perone said that Campbell will remain as president and chief executive officer until the end of the year and may remain in a consulting capacity.