Jimmy Carter, at Nearly 99, Is 'Coming to the End'

But, grandson says, he and wife Rosalynn are still happy, in love
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 15, 2023 2:24 AM CDT
Jimmy Carter, at Nearly 99, Is 'Coming to the End'
In this Sept. 15, 1966, file photo, then Georgia State Sen. Jimmy Carter hugs his wife, Rosalynn, at his Atlanta campaign headquarters.   (AP Photo/File)

Jimmy Carter's 99th birthday is coming up on October 1, and while his physical challenges are "really significant," the former president watches baseball and spends time with his family nearly every day, says his grandson Jason Carter. The younger Carter, chairman of the Carter Center's Board of Trustees, shared an update on his grandparents with USA Today, acknowledging that both Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are "coming to the end, as we know," but that their situation is "perfect ... for this time in their lives." Together at home, where Jimmy Carter has been in hospice care for several months, they are "in love, and I don't think anyone gets more than that," Jason Carter says.

He adds that President Biden and his grandfather "still communicate today on a relatively regular basis," with Biden having written to Carter "just to let him know that he's continuing to think about my grandfather, pray for him." The Carter Center is putting together a "digital mosaic" for Carter's birthday, and is asking the public to share well wishes here or on social media using the hashtag #JimmyCarter99. When the former president first went into hospice care, his grandson says the family wasn't sure he'd make it to this milestone birthday, People reports. He would be the first US president to reach 99; he is already the longest-living US president—as well as the one with the longest-lasting marriage, at 77 years. (More Jimmy Carter stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X