Former US President Jimmy Carter wants to spend whatever time he has left at home with his family after a series of hospital stays. The 98-year-old has decided on palliative care at home over other medical measures, the foundation he founded announced on Saturday (local time). “He has the full support of his family and medical team,” he said.
At the same time, the Carter Center asked that privacy be respected. The Democratic politician from the southern state of Georgia was President of the United States from 1977 to 1981, when he was succeeded by Republican Ronald Reagan. He is the oldest living former president. His successors Reagan and George Bush died in 2004 and 2018 respectively. In 2002, Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize for his international services. He has been married to his wife Rosalynn (95) for 76 years. They have four children.
Carter’s health has deteriorated in recent months, the Washington Post and other US media reported. He now uses a wheelchair and his wife needs a walking aid. Grandson Jason Carter tweeted on Sunday: “I saw both my grandparents yesterday. They are at peace and – as always – their home is filled with love.” He now heads the foundation’s board of directors.
98th Anniversary Parade in Plains
Jimmy Carter announced in 2015 that he had liver cancer. Melanomas were also discovered in her brain. A year later, he announced that he had overcome the illness. In November 2019, the former peanut farmer made it clear at a church service in his hometown of Plains that he faces death with serenity. “I didn’t ask God to let me live,” he said. “I asked God to give me an appropriate attitude towards death.”
In recent weeks, Carter has asked for trips to his hometown of Plains, US media reported. On his 98th birthday nearly five months ago, the small town put on a parade for him. A week earlier, Carter and his wife had been driven through the streets in a red convertible to celebrate the annual Peanut Festival.
Today’s President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly expressed his admiration for Carter, was briefed on the health of his fellow party member. The 80-year-old man – also from the Democratic Party – remains in close contact with the family, CNN reported.
The 39th President of the USA
Carter was the 39th president of the United States, but only for one term. He lost the 1980 presidential election to Reagan. The presidency of the trained peanut farmer and nuclear engineer from southern Georgia began with hope: In September 1978, Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed two framework peace agreements – a coup sensational that Carter managed to pull in tough secret negotiations at Camp David. Another success was the SALT II Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, which Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed in Vienna in June 1979.
But then the Islamic revolution in Iran, including the Tehran hostage crisis, the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, the economic crisis and the collapse of the dollar overshadowed his tenure. For 444 days, Iranian students held more than 50 Americans in their power after a 1979 attack on the US embassy in Tehran. A liberation action by the military ended in disaster.
In 1982, Carter founded his non-governmental organization, the Carter Center, which works, among other things, for the peaceful resolution of conflicts around the world. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In recent years, Carter has suffered from a number of health issues, including melanoma, which has spread to his liver and brain. He responded well to medical treatment. He declared himself cancer-free in 2015. (apa)