Jimmy Carter hit a major milestone October 1 when he turned 100, becoming the first American president to live a full century.
Amid the celebrations, his grandson reveals the centenarian is “very limited in what he can do,” and that this “journey” is “one” he can only experience at “the very end.”
On October 1, family and friends of Jimmy Carter gathered in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to celebrate his 100th birthday, the first without his wife of 77 years.
“We know this is the first birthday without Rosalynn. It’s bittersweet, but we also know she’s always with you,” President Joe Biden says in a birthday message to his longtime friend. “She’s in your heart; she’ll never go away. She may be gone, but she’s always going to be with you. She’s always there, and I know you know that.”
The former first lady, also from Plains, died November 19 at age 96. Carter – who uses a wheelchair for mobility – is rarely seen but did appear at his late wife’s memorial service.
Biden, one of the first sitting senators to endorse Carter’s 1976 campaign, continues of the former Commander-in-Chief, “Even after you left office, the moral clarity you showed throughout your career showed through again in your commitment through the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity…Put simply, Mr. President, I admire you so darn much.”
The milestone birthday bash was held at the Plains home where the Nobel Peace Prize laureate lives in hospice, the same one he built with Rosalynn in the 1960s.
His grandson Jason tells Southern Living that it’s “the place that has given him the greatest support and it is the only place where he would go through this part of his life.” Jason continues, “That’s his home in every way, and he really cherished that time and that support.”
Jason, 49, a lawyer and politician, is the eldest son of Carter’s first born, Jack, 77, and the eldest of 22 grandchildren.
He adds, “There is no other place in the world that he would be at peace other than Plains.”
In his interview with Southern Living, Jason speaks of his grandad’s struggles since Rosalynn died. “After 77 years of marriage… I just think none of us really understand what it’s like for him right now.” He adds, “We have to embrace that fact, that there’s things about the spirit that you just can’t understand.”
Cupcakes and jets
The Associated Press reports that his 74-year-old son Chip, the second born to the former first couple, was among the dozens of family members and friends rallying around Carter for his birthday.
Revelers had cupcakes on the lawn while antique World War II planes flew above in his honor. And in the evening, guests collected around the TV, watching the vice-presidential debate.
“He’s plugged in,” Chip tells AP, explaining his father intends to live long enough to cast his vote on Election Day. “I asked him two months ago if he was trying to live to be 100, and he said, No, I’m trying to live to vote for Kamala Harris.”
Praising his grandfather, Jason who chairs the Carter Center, tells AP: “Not everybody gets 100 years on this earth, and when somebody does, and when they use that time to do so much good for so many people, it’s worth celebrating.”
He adds, “These last few months, 19 months, now that he’s been in hospice, it’s been a chance for our family to reflect…and then for the rest of the country and the world to really reflect on him. That’s been a really gratifying time.”
‘Physically limited’
Offering some insight into his grandad’s current health, Jason tells People in September 2024 that his grandad is “physically limited” and seldom leaves home.
“He has really physically diminished and can’t do much on his own. But he is emotionally engaged and still having experiences and laughing, loving.”
He says, “This is an important part” of his journey, “one that you don’t get to experience at any other time in your life except for the very end…And so in that way, I think this has been a really meaningful time for him.”
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