Jimmy Carter’s youngest son Jeff has been living quietly with Parkinson’s disease.
The 72-year-old kept his condition out of the public eye until it was confirmed by People magazine on Tuesday.
“We know (Parkinson’s) is a one-way street,” said his son Josh, 40.
‘My dad currently lives alone, he can take care of himself, he is independent, but he built his house knowing that one day he will need more help.
Jeff Carter reacts as he leaves former first lady Rosalynn Carter’s funeral
The 72-year-old kept his condition out of the public eye until it was confirmed by People magazine on Tuesday.
Last week, Jimmy Carter turned 100 and expressed that his birthday wish is to be able to vote for Kamala Harris.
The 39th president is already the oldest in United States history and is now the first to become a centenarian.
When he entered hospice care in 2023 at his home in Georgia, he was believed to have only days to live.
But in recent months he has reportedly “buffed up” and told his grandchildren that his new goal is to make it to Election Day and vote for the Democratic candidate.
Your vote could be important as Georgia is a key state that polls show is on a knife edge between Harris and Donald Trump. In 2020, Biden defeated Trump by just 12,000 votes.
According to his family, Carter is following the election and respects his friend Joe Biden’s decision to step aside.
Harris has called several times and the former president has formed a “real personal kinship” with her, her grandson Jason Carter told the New York Times.
The former president feels “driven by her story as a true example of the American dream,” the younger Carter said.
Carter’s last public appearance was almost a year ago at the funeral of his beloved wife Rosalynn.
They were the first couple to be married the longest, as they were married for 77 years.
Carter had a “low period” after that, but now he’s “reengaged with the world,” his grandson told the New York Times.
Jimmy Carter’s youngest son, Jeff (behind left of Rosalynn), has been living quietly with Parkinson’s disease.
“I think all of us are surprised to see that he’s still going. It’s quite possible that he’s immortal,” said Jason Carter.
His birthday will be celebrated in the small town of Plains, Georgia, population 500, where he lives.
The celebrations include a flyover by military aircraft, a concert and a naturalization ceremony for 100 new American citizens.
According to his family, Carter now spends his time at home listening to music, including Bob Dylan, and following the Atlanta Braves.
A star-studded concert at Atlanta’s Fox Theater in early September raised $1.2 million to support the international programs of the Carter Center, which Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter founded in 1982 to “make peace, fight against diseases and generate hope.