CNN
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The grandson of former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter said “it’s clear we’re in the final chapter” in an interview with People published Saturday.
Jimmy Carter, 98, entered hospice care in February. The former president beat brain cancer in 2015 but faced a series of health scares in 2019, and as a result underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.
Family and caregivers were the only recent visitors to the Carters’ Georgia home, Josh Carter told People. But “there’s always someone at home” to keep the Carters company, he said.
What is hospice care? CNN’s medical analyst explained
A spokeswoman for The Carter Center declined to comment to CNN about the interview.
“He’s still totally Jimmy Carter,” Josh Carter said of his grandfather. “I mean he’s almost 99 years old, but he totally understands (how many good wishes he gets) and feels the love.”
Meanwhile, Josh Carter said that his grandmother Rosalynn Carter, who has dementia, was aware of his diagnosis and even signed the press release in May where it was announced.
“He still knows who we are, for the most part — that we’re family,” Josh Carter said. “My grandmother can still make new memories.”
Although the former president’s grandson told People that it “must be hard” for Jimmy Carter to see his wife lose some of her memories, he noted that “they experienced everything you can do together. In my think the good thing is that they are still together.
“They’re still holding hands… it’s just amazing,” added Josh Carter.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have been married for 77 years and are the longest serving presidential couple. Together, the Carters changed the role of the former first family. In his post-presidential years, Carter founded The Carter Center with his wife, Rosalynn, in hopes of promoting world peace and health. The center has been working to promote democracy by monitoring foreign elections and reducing diseases in developing countries for many years.
Jimmy Carter has long volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. He also received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts to promote peace around the world.
A peanut farmer and US Navy lieutenant before entering politics, Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, eventually served one term as governor of Georgia and became president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.
