“I plan to teach Sunday school this Sunday and every Sunday, as long as I’m – you know – physically and mentally able, in my little church”, Carter said during his cancer announcement last week. Mary Ann Peters, the center’s chief executive, said the center takes its guiding principles from Mr. Carter’s personal philosophies, which include tackling new challenges, not duplicating the efforts of other organizations, and accepting the risk of failure. Keytruda blocks one of those proteins, PD-1, and empowers the immune system enough to stand up to the diseased cells.
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“The unwanted transition that is demanded by his cancer treatment is apparently the only way to get him to slow down”, he said. He said an MRI scan revealed a 2.5 cubic centimeter tumor located in his liver, which was then removed.
Carter said that he has started treatment for brain cancer and has received radiation therapy that targeted four small tumors in his brain. “The Carters began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity more than 30 years ago and have helped bring worldwide attention to and support for our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live”, said Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity global.
“And we have hundreds of visitors who come to see the curiosity of a politician teaching the Bible”, he said, interrupted by laughter at the press conference, “so I continue that”. When one person, for example, called out “Washington”, Carter responded, “I’ve lived there”.
He said the path toward his cancer diagnosis began in late May, when he departed an election monitoring trip to Guyana early because of a bad cold. The seven-room Plains Historic Inn is booked months in advance, and its country diner bustles, tourism officials said.
Carter stressed that he will closely follow the recommendations of “the best cancer-treaters in the world”, even as he keeps lecturing at Emory University, attending meetings and fundraising for The Carter Center, and enjoying his extended family – four children, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. “We are grateful for their longstanding commitment to our mission and wish President Carter well in the days ahead”. “They have led him to be this incredibly giant human life”.
Carter didn’t discuss his long-term prognosis.
The 90-year-old is fighting metastatic melanoma, and recently announced that the disease has spread to his brain. But he wanted to complete a book tour before the surgery, and only told others about the diagnosis once it was certain.
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Carter served in submarines in the Navy and spent years as a peanut farmer before running for office, becoming a state senator and Georgia governor. His “plainspoken” nature helped Democrats retake the White House in 1976 in the wake of President Richard Nixon’s impeachment. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
