Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Reveals Devastating Diagnosis

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor just revealed that she’s been diagnosed with dementia, but it’s likely the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

JUST IN: Former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in public letter: "Since many people have asked about my current status and activities, I want to be open about these changes, and while I am still able, share some personal thoughts." pic.twitter.com/IV207tR9Iw

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 23, 2018

“Some time ago, doctors diagnosed me with the beginning stages of dementia, probably Alzheimer’s disease,” O’Connor wrote in her letter.

“As this condition has progressed, I am no longer able to participate in public life. Since many people have asked about my current status and activities, I want to be open about these changes, and while I am still able, share some personal thoughts,” she continued.

Here’s her full statement:

Reaction from Chief Justice Roberts:

Chief Justice Roberts: “I was saddened to learn that Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, like many Americans, faces the challenge of dementia. But I was not at all surprised that she used the occasion of sharing that fact to think of our country first,…” 1/ https://t.co/239xxgkGww

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 23, 2018

2/ “… and to urge an increased commitment to civics education, a cause to which she devoted so much of her time and indomitable energy. Justice O’Connor is of course a towering figure in the history of the United States and indeed the world…

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 23, 2018

3/“… She broke down barriers for women in the legal profession to the betterment of that profession and the country as a whole. She serves as a role model not only for girls and women, but for all those committed to equal justice under law…

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 23, 2018

4/“… Although she has announced that she is withdrawing from public life, no illness or condition can take away the inspiration she provides for those who will follow the many paths she has blazed.”

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 23, 2018

It’s such a sad diagnosis. Fewer things are more heartbreaking than watching your loved one forget their life and those they love.