Former US President Jimmy Carter has received a touching message from one of his successors, Barack Obama, following his cancer diagnosis. The 90-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner revealed on Wednesday that he has the disease, just weeks after he underwent surgery to remove a small mass in his liver. "Recent liver surgery revealed that I have cancer that now is in other parts of my body," he said in a statement. "I will be arranging 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."
Jimmy Carter, former US president, has revealed he has cancer
Shortly afterwards, President Obama sent a message of support. "Our thoughts and prayers are with (wife) Rosalynn and the entire Carter family as they face this challenge with the same grace and determination that they have shown so many times before," he said in a statement released by the White House.
"Jimmy, you're as resilient as they come, and along with the rest of America, we are rooting for you."The president also spoke with Mr Carter on the phone on Wednesday evening to wish him a "full and speedy recovery", and extended his best wishes on behalf of himself and Michelle, White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. Jimmy Carter served as America's 39th president from 1977 until 1981. He is currently the second-oldest living former president and recently released an autobiography titled A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety. Since leaving the White House, Mr Carter has remained active, carrying out humanitarian efforts with his Carter Center, which focuses on human rights efforts and political mediation. He was responsible for negotiating a 1994 nuclear disarmament pact with North Korea, and in 2002 won the Nobel Peace Prize for his commitment to finding a peaceful solution to international conflicts, his work with human rights and democracy initiatives and his promotion of economic and social programmes.