99-Year-Old Cancer-Fighting Star, Former US President Jimmy Carter, Enters Hospice Care

Recently, Jason Carter, the 48-year-old grandson of former US President Jimmy Carter, described to the public his grandfather's life after entering hospice care. Jason said that the mental state of 99-year-old Jimmy Carter is no longer what it was; the old man cannot be guaranteed to be awake every day. He is often comatose, so that when his children and grandchildren visit, they cannot be sure of communicating with him.

Reportedly, since last November, after the death of his beloved wife Rosalynn, Jimmy Carter's physical and mental health has steadily declined, and he quickly entered an unconscious, hospice-care state. The marriage of Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn lasted 77 years; Rosalynn's death dealt Carter a heavy blow from which he never recovered. This old man, still vigorous in his early nineties, has finally reached the end of his life.

Besides serving as the 39th US president, Jimmy Carter is widely known as a cancer-fighting star. In 2015 he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a fast-progressing cancer. After conventional radiotherapy, Carter received the latest PD-1 therapy, and the cancer cells in his body disappeared completely; he recovered from melanoma. Afterward, Carter actively raised funds to build houses for homeless poor people.

Carter's treatment outcome inspired many cancer patients, and PD-1 (immune checkpoint blockade) drew more attention because of it, becoming the hottest new technology in oncology. Many articles introducing PD-1 used Carter's response as the example. This new technology has indeed been a gospel for some patients, but later its lower clinical efficacy and greater side effects have also been reported. Carter was the lucky one among cancer patients; he was indeed cured.

Carter's life was positive and optimistic; even in old age he maintained vigorous vitality. His grandson Jason says that in his nineties Carter still personally repaired his old home. In later years Carter returned to the countryside, living in a small American town of fewer than 600 people; there, in this old house, he and Rosalynn enjoyed their later years. The terminally ill Carter has already written a will donating his house; after his death, it will be converted into a museum or park facility.

Carter's life was remarkable. He was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, into a peanut-farming family; his father was in agriculture and business and served as a state legislator. Carter studied at Georgia Southwestern University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, then entered the United States Naval Academy in Maryland, where he earned a Bachelor of Science, and served seven years in the Navy.

In the early 1950s, Carter participated in research on America's first nuclear-powered submarines and soon became a nuclear-reactor technology expert; he took part in handling the December 1952 hydrogen explosion at the Chalk River Laboratories reactor in Canada. After retiring from the service, he followed his father into farming back home for a time.

After returning home, Carter, like his father, farmed and did business while serving in the Georgia State Legislature, rising step by step to governor. In 1976, as the Democratic nominee, Carter defeated Ford in the general election and became the 39th US president. It was during Carter's presidency that China and the United States normalized diplomatic relations. Though Carter's in-office record was undistinguished, after leaving office he actively participated in political activities and pushed the international community toward greater peace, earning the respect of people worldwide.

Cancer is not unconquerable, but not every cancer patient conquers it; Carter was the lucky one. After diagnosis, despite his advanced age, he did not sink into suffering but remained active in social causes, striving toward the dream of "ten million broad shelters for all the cold scholars, all smiling." This powerful spirit and will to live may well have been one of the important reasons he recovered from cancer.