Good news on the state of the 91-year-old former president's health: Jimmy Carter's cancer has stopped spreading and he is responding well to treatment, a statement released by The Carter Center last Tuesday said.
The statement revealed that former Pres. Carter has received good news from his doctors from the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, particularly how recent tests showed no evidence of new malignancy and that the patient is responding well to therapy.
Further tests will be conducted on Carter, who made it public in August that his cancer had spread to other body parts including his brain.
Carter remains active in his eponymous nonprofit organization. "[J]ust last week [he] spent a day building homes in Memphis with his wife, Rosalynn, for Habitat for Humanity," shared a Carter spokesperson.
In an interview last week at the Memphis build site, Carter disclosed that he has not cut back on his schedule, even helping put pre-framed walls into place and saw boards for the house-building cause.
In August, the 39th president announced that he was diagnosed with a small cancerous mass during a liver surgery. The scan showed four small spots on his brain, determined as melanoma and prompting radiation treatment in the next few months.
A smiling Carter told reporters back then: "I'm perfectly at ease with whatever comes... I have had a wonderful life." He also thought he had a couple of weeks left after his diagnosis.
Carter's doctors previously cleared him for travel to Nepal in November for Habitat for Humanity, to continue his mission to help build homes. The trip, however, was canceled last month due to safety concerns cited.
Leading the U.S. from 1977 to 1981, James Earl "Jimmy" Carter was known for playing a key role in peace negotiations in the Middle East during his term. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, and today devotes his attention to his foundation.