Monitoring Desk
WASHINGTON: Former US president Jimmy Carter (98) who led the nation from 1977 to 1981, is receiving ‘hospice care’ at home, where he will spend his “remaining time”.
According to his nonprofit foundation, Carter, the Nobel peace laureate and also the oldest living former president, resides in Plains, Georgia, with his wife, Rosalynn.
That small town is where he was born and worked as a peanut farmer before becoming the governor and later launching his presidential bid as a Democratic nominee.
“After a series of short hospital stays, former US President Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention,” the Carter Center said in a statement posted to Twitter on Saturday.
During his presidency, Jimmy Carter made a commitment on social justice and human rights, enjoying a strong first two years which also featured brokering a peace deal between Egypt and Israel dubbed the Camp David Accords.
But his government hit numerous hitches — the most serious being the taking of US hostages in Iran and the disastrous failed attempt to rescue the 52 captive Americans in 1980.
In November 1980, he was relegated to serve only a single term when he was defeated in elections by Republican challenger Ronald Reagan, who swept into office on a wave of staunch social conservatism.
Carter founded the Carter Center in 1982 to pursue his vision of world diplomacy, and he was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts to promote economic and social justice.
In recent years, Carter received various hospital treatments, including when he revealed in August 2015 that he had brain cancer and was undergoing radiation treatment — an illness he recovered from, seemingly against all odds.
Grandson of the US President
Grandson of Jimmy Carter, Jason Carter, a former senator from Georgia state, tweeted that he had seen “both of my grandparents yesterday.” “They are at peace and — as always — their home is full of love. Thank you all for your kind words,” he said.
