By Deutsche Welle
18 Feb 2024, 09:47 AM EST
The former American president Jimmy Carter celebrates one year in palliative care this Sunday (02/18/2024)a period in which he defied all odds, celebrated his 99th birthday and mourned the death of his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn.
“One year after entering palliative care, President Carter remains at home with his family“said the Carter Center in a note to the media, regarding the anniversary of his decision to reject further hospital treatment for various health problems and live out his days at his home in Plains, Georgia.
“The Carter family appreciates the numerous expressions of affection they have received and the continued respect for their privacy during this time,” said their non-profit foundation.
“The family is glad that their decision last year to enter hospice care has sparked so many family discussions throughout the country about an important issue,” he concluded.
Carter, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2002, advocate of charitable causes and former peanut farmer, is the longest-serving president in United States history.
The Carters’ marriage was also longer than that of any other president, eclipsing the 73 years of George HW Bush and his wife, Barbara.
“We thought it was a matter of days”
After overcoming brain cancer at age 90 and suffering other ailments that required hospitalization, Carter was thought to be in his final days in February 2023, when the Carter Center announced that he would spend “his remaining time” in a palliative program. at home with his family.
But Carter has resisted and even made a public appearance in November 2023 during Rosalynn Carter’s funeral. The former first lady died at the age of 96, just a few days after also entering palliative care.
“When he first went into hospice care… we thought it was a matter of days,” his grandson Jason Carter confessed, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Carter was president for only one term (1977-1981) after the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. His presidency included successes like the Camp David peace accords, but also controversies like the Iran hostage crisis.
After retiring from active politics, he dedicated himself to humanitarian affairs and founded the Carter Center, which promotes human rights and conflict resolution.
Jimmy Carter, America’s longest living president, is marking 1 year in hospice care https://t.co/UxCSRyNZOt
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) February 17, 2024
Keep reading:
– Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn visited a festival in Georgia
– United States presidential centers and libraries united in a rare letter that asks to protect democracy
– Jimmy Carter and his wife are in the “final chapter” of their lives, says his grandson