This week marks one year since former president Jimmy Carter entered hospice care, but the iconic statesman’s grandson insists his spirit remains as strong as ever.
Much has changed since Carter entered hospice care last February, a decision taken after a series of hospital stays to combat a host of growing issues. Jimmy’s wife Rosalynn passed away in November, and the ex-president himself has been greatly troubled by health problems in recent years, including brain cancer, liver cancer, a broken hip, and brain surgery.
Yet one year after entering hospice care, his grandson has given an update on Carter’s condition.
“After a year in hospice, on a daily basis, we have no expectations for his body. But we know that his spirit is as strong as ever,” Jason Carter told CBS Sunday Morning.
The Carter family as a collective also expressed their gratitude for all of the support Jimmy has received during the past year.
“One year after entering hospice care, President Carter continues to be at home with his family,” they said. “The Carter Family is grateful for the many expressions of love they have received and the continued respect for their privacy during this time.”
The statement added: “The family is pleased that his decision last year to enter hospice care has sparked so many family discussions across the country on an important subject.”
Incredibly, Carter finds himself in the six percent of people who have lived more than a year after entering hospice care. As mentioned, his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, passed away in November aged 96, months after being diagnosed with dementia.
At the time, Jimmy’s doctor, Dr. Michael Raines, revealed his concern immediately following Rosalynn’s death, describing it as “such a big loss for him.”
“Sometimes people that had been married for a long period of time, and they have a very strong dependency on each other, not only in love but in relationship and friendship when one of them passes away it’s not long until the other one goes,” he admitted.
Here’s to wishing Jimmy Carter peace in the days remaining to him. Leave a comment in the box provided if you’d like to join us in praying for him.
