Jimmy Carter Announces He Has Cancer

Jimmy Carter announced that he has cancer today. According to a statement released on his behalf, the 90-year-old former president went in for surgery on his liver, at which point doctors discovered that the disease had spread to other areas of his body. The press statement, which was shared on the Carter Center's website, also noted where Carter will be receiving further care. "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," it reads.

The initial surgery, which was conducted on August 3, was performed to remove a "small mass," according to the AP. It is unclear if Carter's cancer originated in the liver, or where it has metastasized within his body. Carter left the White House in 1981 after one term, and subsequently founded the Carter Center in 1982, partnering with Emory University to focus on humanitarian efforts. "For the people who don’t have peace, we negotiate agreements that end wars and prevent wars. We promote democracy and freedom by holding elections in troubled countries — in fact, we just finished our one-hundredth election," Carter said in a recent interview with The Atlantic. "This year, we’ll treat about 71 million people, mostly in Africa, so they won’t have terrible diseases. That’s been the concentration of my effort ever since I left the White House," he continued. More information about Carter's condition and prognosis are likely to be released next week.