Speaking at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Carter compared the situation to the flow of Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees to the United States during his presidency.
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The former president updated a sold out crowd during the Conversation with the Carters event on his work overseas to eradicate diseases.
“We need to get on the same side whenever we possibly can with Russian Federation to promote peace in the world and harmony and future economic development for everybody”, he said.
Unafraid to discuss the life-threatening illness in public, he spoke about how tumors had spread to his brain, and the treatment he has been receiving to combat it.
Some 1,300 students had packed the bleachers at the Woodruff P.E. Center to quiz him about everything from his views on mass prison incarceration to the first thing he says to his wife of 69 years every morning. The former President holds another town hall with Emory University freshmen on Wednesday.
“Instead of getting productive work done, I spend a lot of time in the restroom”, he joked.
There are 11 known cases left, down from an estimated 3.5 million in 21 countries, he said: “I hope I’m living longer than that last guinea worm”.
“He’s just always been an inspiration to me and it was truly an honor to be here”, one woman told CBS46 as she fought back tears.
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Almost a month after revealing the cancer, the 90-year-old former president has stepped back from work at the human rights organization he founded after leaving the White House, Fox News reports. He also said he’d encouraged US leaders to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin about making that happen.
