Former president Jimmy Carter, age 90, has announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer.
Carter said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon:
Recent liver surgery revealed that I have cancer that now is in other parts of my body. I will be rearranging my schedule as necessary so I can undergo treatment by physicians at Emory Healthcare. A more complete public statement will be made when facts are known, possibly next week.
In Carter’s family history, his father, James Sr., and his siblings Gloria, Ruth, and Billy all died of pancreatic cancer in their 50s or 60s.
Update: President Obama released this statement Wednesday:
Michelle and I send our best wishes to President Carter for a fast and full recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rosalynn and the entire Carter family as they face this challenge with the same grace and determination that they have shown so many times before. Jimmy, you’re as resilient as they come, and along with the rest of America, we are rooting for you.
Photo: Former president Jimmy Carter, via the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.
