Cancer diagnosis
President Carter identified his cancer as melanoma and announced the cancer has spread to his brain during a press conference Thursday.
The Carter Center announced the former U.S. president announced he has been diagnosed with cancer in a statement Wednesday, August 13, 2015.
The former U.S. president and former Georgia governor underwent an elective procedure at Emory University Hospital to remove a small mass in his liver. The surgery revealed cancer in his liver and other parts of his body, according to a press release by the Carter Center.
Reactions
Support poured from around the world on Twitter in wake of Carter's cancer announcement.
President Obama, Vice President Biden and other politicians expressed their sympathy to the former president. Former U.S. senator Sam Nunn, 76, said "Cancer has never met a tougher foe than our friend Jimmy Carter."
Carter's hometown, Plains, in southwest Georgia, is stunned and depressed by the news.
A life post-presidency
President Carter hasn't shied away from the public life after his presidency.
Since leaving the White House, Carter and wife Rosalynn have focused their time and energy into resolving conflicts, fighting disease and defending human rights around the globe. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work with the Carter Center.
Book tours and media stops
Carter has written 29 books, and recently wrapped up a book tour for his most recent work, "A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety."
His book tour included a stop at the Carter Presidential Library & Museum, where he had an exclusive Q&A session with the AJC.
Carter has also recently told the media that he thinks "very few people that still look upon the Confederate flag as a racist symbol" and 'I believe Jesus would approve gay marriage'.
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