On Thursday, Jimmy Carter stated that he suffers from a form of melanoma that is spreading through his body and that doctors have found cancer on his brain. He will start radiation therapy today.
“I can’t really anticipate how I’ll be feeling, obviously,” Carter said. “I’ll have to defer quite substantially to my doctors.”
“I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said.
Just last week Carter announced that he had cancer, after having surgery to remove a mass from his liver. Carter had previously stated he would have the condition examined by doctors at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia.
For the most part, Carter enjoyed widespread condolences and support following the public announcement of his condition. Fox News hacks on the other hand, harassed Carter and regulars to the network made statements like, “A cancer has cancer.”
Some who know the former president believe Carter will use his illness to raise public awareness.
“Because of him facing cancer, he’s going to use this to help others,” Jan Williams, a friend of the Carter family, told the New York Times last week. “He will make it into a teaching experience for other to learn from.”
President Obama had nothing but kind words for Carter.
“Michelle and I send our best wishes,” said Mr. Obama. “Jimmy, you’re as resilient as they come, and along with the rest of America, we are rooting for you.”
