Jimmy Carter, a ‘model of kindness’: Reaction pours in for 39th US president as he enters hospice
Jimmy Carter served as the 39th U.S. President
Former President Jimmy Carter is recovering in Atlanta after a procedure to relieve pressure on the brain due to bleeding from recent falls; Jonathan Serrie reports.
Politicians are reacting to former President Jimmy Carter entering hospice care, saying that he’s a “model of kindness.”
Carter will spend his “remaining time” in his Georgia home receiving hospice care, according to a statement from The Carter Center on Saturday.
“After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention,” a statement from the organization reads. “He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.”
Carter turned 98 in October. He served as the 39th President of the United States.
A look at Jimmy Carter’s legacy in Georgia and around the world
Former president Jimmy Carter prior to the game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., D-N.J., said that Carter is a “model of kindness.”
“Please have a prayer and a warm thought for Pres Carter. Jimmy Carter is the model of kindness, generosity, and decency that is the finest part of America. He is a great man and in our family’s thoughts now,” he tweeted.
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said on Twitter that he is “Sending my best to the Carter family and to Jimmy Carter, a kind, decent, generous-hearted man.”
A look at Jimmy Carter’s legacy in Georgia and around the world
President Jimmy Carter speaking at Merced College. (Diana Walker/Getty Images)
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said on Twitter that he’s “Wishing the Carter Family peace and gratitude for the family’s decades of service.”
Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, during a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn., said that he is wishing Carter “comfort and peace in the days ahead.”
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said on Twitter that Carter’s life should be an example for all.
“President Carter has led a well-lived life, faithfully serving his country and setting a great example for all,” Rounds tweeted. “Praying for peace and comfort for him, Rosalynn and all of their family in the coming weeks.”
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said on Twitter that Carter is a “man of great faith.”
Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock speaks onstage during the “Vote GA Blue” concert on December 28, 2020, in Stonecrest, Georgia. ((Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images))
Secret Service spokesman on Jimmy Carter’s health: ‘Forever by your side’
Former president spending time at home with his family under hospice care
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi responded Saturday to former President Jimmy Carter entering hospice.
Guglielmi said the agency, which has protected Carter and his family for decades, “will be forever by your side.”
“Rest easy Mr. President. We will be forever by your side,” Guglielmi stated in a tweet.
“After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention. He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers,” the center said.
The former president was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. He discussed his health at the Carter Center during a press conference in August of that year. He said that he had a small melanoma cancerous growth removed from his liver. He stated that the doctors believed the cancer had formed somewhere else and eventually spread to his liver.
Later that same day, he took an MRI that showed the cancer had spread to four places in his brain. He revealed during the conference that after hearing the news about his health, he thought he only had a few weeks left. “I was surprisingly at ease,” he said. “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, and I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” He remained positive and knew to follow the doctor’s orders in hopes to try to extend his life.
Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, sit together during a reception to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary July 10, 2021, in Plains, Georgia. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, Pool)
A few months later, in December, he had announced that the cancer was gone. He had another MRI and said that the doctors did not find cancer in his brain.
In 2019, he had brain surgery after experiencing pressure in his head due to multiple falls.
President Jimmy Carter gives a speech at Merced College. (Diana Walker/Getty Images)
The former president grew up in Plains, Georgia. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president in 1976 and served from 1977-1981.
The Carter Center, a nonprofit and nongovernmental organization, was founded in 1982 by Jimmy Carter and the former first lady Rosalynn Carter. They partnered with Emory University “to advance peace and health worldwide,” according to the website.
Tributes pour in for Jimmy Carter after former president enters hospice care
Tributes pour in for President Jimmy Carter
Tributes continue to pour in on President’s Day honoring former President Jimmy Carter after the Georgia politicians entered hospice care over the weekend.
ATLANTA – Tributes continue to pour in on President’s Day honoring former President Jimmy Carter after the Georgia politicians entered hospice care over the weekend.
Carter, at age 98 the longest-lived American president, had a recent series of short hospital stays. The Carter Center said in a statement Saturday that he has now “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention.”
Among those paying homage was his niece, who noted the 39th president’s years of service in an emotional address at Maranatha Baptist Church, where Carter taught Sunday school for decades.
“I just want to read one of Uncle Jimmy’s quotes,” Kim Fuller said during the Sunday school morning service, adding: “Oh, this is going to be really hard.”
She referenced this quote from Carter: “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. I’m free to choose that something. … My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can.”
“Maybe if we think about it, maybe it’s time to pass the baton,” Fuller said before leading those gathered in prayer. “Who picks it up, I have no clue. I don’t know. Because this baton’s going to be a really big one.”
In Atlanta, people, some traveling many miles, made the trip to The Carter Center to reflect on the life of the former president on a spring-like Sunday under a sunny sky.
“I brought my sons down here today to pay respect for President Carter and teach them a little bit about how great a humanitarian he was, especially in the later stages of his life,” said James Culbertson, who drove an hour to Atlanta from Calhoun, Georgia.
The presidential library was closed in honor of President’s Day weekend, but people were still showing up to walk past the fountains and through the gardens.
Former President Jimmy Carter interviewed for “The Presidents’ Gatekeepers” project at the Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia, September 14, 2011. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
David Brummett of Frederick County, Maryland, said he changed his Sunday morning plans when he heard news that Carter was in hospice care.
Brummett paused near a large statue of Carter, where someone had placed a potted plant of purple chrysanthemums at the base.
“Great man, great president, probably under-appreciated by those who didn’t know much about him,” Brummett said. “People should come here to appreciate the life, and the contributions he made both during his presidency and after.”
Georgians share well-wishes to former Pres. Jimmy Carter and family
From the current commander in chief to everyday citizens, we’re seeing thousands of heartfelt messages posted to social media in light of the announcement former president Jimmy Carter would not be seeking any additional medical treatment after dealing with health challenges in recent months. Some sent words of comfort, others reflected on his lifetime of accomplishments.
Margaret Seitter of Atlanta met Carter in the 1980s, when he spoke about foreign relations in one of her classes at Emory University. Seitter and her friend, Larry Goeser, visiting from Florida, were among those paying their respects at The Carter Center.
Both said they were inspired by Carter’s work with Habitat for Humanity, which he continued by helping to build houses well into his later life.
“Definitely want to go build a Habitat for Humanity house in his honor,” Seitter said.
Following Fuller’s Sunday school service at Maranatha Baptist Church, Pastor Hugh Deloach offered prayers for the Carter family, particularly for Rosalynn Carter, the wife of the former president.
The Carters have been married for more than 75 years, making American history as the longest-married presidential couple.
“Lord, especially Mrs. Carter, and God look back on times and years that they’ve been together and Lord just strengthen her in the power of your might as well,” the pastor said.
Others took to social media to remember Carter, who served one term after defeating President Gerald Ford in 1976.
President Joe Biden tweeted: “To our friends Jimmy and Rosalynn and to their family — Jill and I are with you in prayer and send you our love.”
“We admire you for the strength and humility you have shown in difficult times. May you continue your journey with grace and dignity, and God grant you peace,” Biden wrote.
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, also took to Twitter to pay homage to Carter: “Across life’s seasons, President Jimmy Carter, a man of great faith, has walked with God. In this tender time of transitioning, God is surely walking with him.”
“May he, Rosalynn & the entire Carter family be comforted with that peace and surrounded by our love & prayers,” Warnock wrote.
The Carters volunteered for decades with Habitat for Humanity, beginning in 1984 and continuing until 2020.
“All of us at Habitat for Humanity are lifting up President and Mrs. Carter in prayer as he enters hospice care,” Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford said in a statement. “We pray for his comfort and for their peace, and that the Carter family experiences the joy of their relationships with each other and with God in this time.”
Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist, tweeted: “Prize winners and truly impressive people. Few are as truly good as Jimmy Carter, who at age 98 is now entering hospice. He leaves this planet so much better than he found it. A great, great, great man.”
Carter was a little-known Georgia governor when he began his bid for the presidency ahead of the 1976 election. He went on to defeat Ford, capitalizing as a Washington outsider in the wake of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal that drove Richard Nixon from office in 1974.
Carter served a single, tumultuous term and was defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980, a landslide loss that ultimately paved the way for his decades of global advocacy for democracy, public health and human rights via The Carter Center.
The former president and his wife, Rosalynn, 95, opened the center in 1982. His work there garnered a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. source
JIMMY CARTERENTERING HOSPICE CARE …Forgoing Hospital Stays
Former President Jimmy Carter has apparently been in and out of the hospital of late — pertaining to a number of ailments and injuries — but now … he’s entering hospice care.
