Former President Jimmy Carter underwent liver surgery on Aug. 3, revealing that he has cancer that has spread to other parts of his body.
Carter revealed in a statement that, “Recent liver surgery revealed that I have cancer that now is in other parts of my body. I will be rearranging my schedule as necessary so I can undergo treatment by physicians at Emory Healthcare. A more complete public statement will be made when facts are known, possibly next week.”
Even at age 90, Carter proves to be resilient in all of his endeavors promoting democracy and freedom by holding elections and traveling to many troubled countries through the Carter Center.
His diagnosis, however, will be putting a halt to these travels as he now will have to undergo treatment. Dr. Mayer, a gastrointestinal cancer specialist at the Dana Farber Cancer told NBC his age will definitely need to be taken into account.
"This is a 90-year-old gentleman with apparent widespread disease. The goals of treatment would be his comfort. If chemo is considered it would need to take into account his age." Mayer says a 90-year-old patient cannot tolerate the same treatment that could buy years of life for cancer patients in their 60s or 70s.
Carter left office in 1981 and has since embarked on a plethora of human-rights efforts and political mediation all over the world.
Thoughts and prayers have been expressed via social media by many:
Thoughts and prayers are with Pres. Jimmy Carter and his family.
#MakeCancerHistory
— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) August 13, 2015Praying for former President Jimmy Carter as he battles cancer. http://t.co/Xt5Avdk912
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) August 13, 2015President Obama wished Jimmy Carter a quick recovery http://t.co/1DgKHoeIrD pic.twitter.com/2P8gAxM4kl
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 12, 2015