Jimmy Carter will be home for Thanksgiving.
Fifteen days after undergoing emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain, the 39th president was released from Emory University Hospital, where he had been recovering.
“He and Mrs. Carter look forward to enjoying Thanksgiving at home in Plains, where he will continue to recover,” The Carter Center spokeswoman Deanna Congileo said in a news release. “The Carters are grateful for all the prayers, cards, and notes they have received and hope everyone will join them in enjoying a special Thanksgiving.”
Carter had surgery on Nov. 12, after being admitted a day earlier for a subdural hematoma that Congileo said was likely “caused by bleeding due to his recent falls.”
RELATED: Former President Jimmy Carter checks into Emory Hospital for brain procedure
The 95-year-old, who has remained active, has suffered a series of accidents this year that have put him in the hospital.
In early October, on his way to a Habitat for Humanity event in Tennessee, Carter fell and bumped his head.
He required 14 stitches, before boarding a plane and making it to the event sporting a black eye and wearing an Atlanta Braves hat on the same night, he hit his head.
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Subdural hematoma occurs when a blood vessel near the brain bursts and blood builds up between the brain and its tough outer lining. According to a study by the Harvard Medical School, subdural hemorrhage usually develops after severe head trauma and can develop within minutes to hours after the injury. It is also more likely to occur in older people, who can even suffer through minor trauma, like falling from the bed.
Carter’s early October fall was sandwiched between two other major falls this year that sent him to the hospital.
In May, while he was getting ready to go turkey hunting, he fell and broke his hip.
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In late October, he again fell in his Plains home and suffered a minor pelvic fracture.
RELATED: Pelvic fracture lands Jimmy Carter in the hospital
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After each of his hospitalizations, he resumed his activities, most notably speaking at Carter Center events and teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church.
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Aside from resting, the Carter Center has not indicated how active the former president will be after his recent hospital stay.
But on Tuesday, the day before his release, Time Magazine published an article co-authored by Carter and Karin D. Ryan, the senior advisor for human rights at The Carter Center. The piece focused on how empowering women can help solve the climate crisis.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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