Jimmy Carter says during a recent liver surgery, it showed he has cancer that has spread to other parts of his body.
Jimmy Carter has been diagnosed with cancer.
The former president, 90, underwent surgery to remove a small mass in his liver earlier this month and the procedure revealed he has cancer that has spread to other parts of his body.
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He revealed the diagnosis in a short statement on The Carter Center website on Wednesday.
He added: "I will be rearranging my schedule as necessary so I can undergo treatment by physicians at Emory Healthcare. A more complete public statement will be made when facts are known, possibly next week."
President Obama addressed Carter in a statement: “Jimmy, you're as resilient as they come, and along with the rest of America, we are rooting for you."
Obama said he and the first lady also sent their thoughts and prayers to Carter and his family.
Jimmy Carter's grandson, Georgia Sentaor Jimmy Carter, tweeted the following:
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers for my grandfather and grandmother. I will pass them along!
— Jason Carter (@SenatorCarter) August 12, 2015
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Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., tweeted:
President #JimmyCarter is in my thoughts & prayers. May the Lord heal, comfort & encourage this extraordinary servant-leader to the world.
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) August 12, 2015
Carter, who is married to wife Rosalynn and has four children, served one term as president from 1977 to 1981. Since leaving the White House, he has remained active carrying out humanitarian efforts and founded The Carter Center in 1982.
His father, his sister and two brothers passed away from pancreatic cancer, while his mother also had the disease.
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