Former President Jimmy Carter will discuss his cancer diagnosis at a Thursday press conference at the Carter Center in his first public remarks since revealing he had the disease last week.
The 90-year-old Georgia native is set to hold a news conference at 10 a.m. at the Carter Center. The event will be closed to the public.
Speculation about Carter’s prognosis has grown since he released a three-sentence statement on Aug. 12 revealing that recent surgery to remove a small mass on his liver this month revealed he had cancer elsewhere in his body. He did not elaborate on where the cancer originated or how widespread it is.
The Georgia native recently finished a nationwide tour for his latest book, called “A Full Life: Reflections at 90.” On Aug. 3, days after the tour ended, the Carter Center said the former president had “elective” surgery to remove the mass from his liver.
Carter, a former peanut farmer who became Georgia’s governor, defeated Republican Gerald Ford in 1976 to become the nation’s 39th president. He established a national energy policy and brokered a landmark peace deal between Israel and Egypt. But the end of his one term in the White House was marred by an energy crisis and an Iranian hostage standoff.
He’s had little down time since returning to Georgia after his 1980 defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan.
In the 35 years since that loss, Carter has logged millions of miles and visited dozens of countries on missions to monitor the globe to promote voting rights, settle conflicts, advocate for human rights and combat deadly diseases such as malaria and guinea worm. He added a Nobel Peace Prize to his collection of awards in 2002.
News of Carter’s cancer last week sparked an outpouring of prayer for the former president. Well-wishers at the Carter Center penned notes urging him to feel better, and the owner of Manuel’s Tavern hung a giant banner atop the popular Atlanta restaurant reading: “Get Well Soon, Jimmy.”
Carter said in the statement last week that he will rearrange his schedule so he can undergo more treatment by Emory Healthcare physicians, but he’s expected to spend much time in his hometown of Plains, the southwest Georgia town of about 700 where he still lives.
The residents there have rallied around their native son. On Sunday, he surprised many when he showed up at Sunday services at the nearby Maranatha Baptist Church, where he has long led Bible study. After the service, Carter seemed in bright spirits.
“I’ll be teaching Sunday School next week,” he told the AJC.
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