When former President Jimmy Carter went to the hospital in February, his family expected the 98-year-old to live only “a matter of days,” his grandson Jason Carter told PEOPLE. Seven months later, the longest-serving president is still watching baseball at home and enjoying the family he and Rosalynn have built.
“These last few months have been surprising for all of us, but it’s been a real blessing,” says Jason. “And because there was so much extra time we could all spend together, but also because it gave us the opportunity to reflect on our personal relationships and experience the outpourings of the whole world for him and for [Rosalynn] and for them as a couple.”
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And while the entire family was moved to hear the stories of how Jimmy touched other people’s lives, Jason notes that the former president himself is grateful for the opportunity to glimpse the legacy he will soon leave behind.
“My grandfather is really limited physically right now – he’s coming to the end, which is evident from the fact that he’s been in hospice – and so I think he’s frustrated,” Jason says. “But he was also able to experience that level of love.”
Jason continues, “This is an important part of his faith journey, and it’s something you don’t get to experience at any other time in your life except at the very end. And so, in that way, I think this was a really significant time for him , and it was a time for real reflection.”
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Former first couple Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter walk hand-in-hand through their hometown of Plains, Georgia in 2018.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty
While Jimmy finds spiritual strength on his latest journey, Rosalynn, 96, faces her own health challenges — the former first lady was diagnosed with dementia in May.
“There are definitely days when my grandfather is sad that she doesn’t participate in this reality the same way the rest of us do, but they’re still there,” Jason explains. “There are many different ways [dementia] can manifest, and for her it manifested in such a happy and loving way, which is not surprising given the way she lived her life and the joy she always felt. And it’s so hard, but it’s the best possible scenario that way.”
Despite their limitations, Jason says, “They’re definitely still there for each other.”
“They are in love at home together and at peace with whatever comes next… That love story that really defines their life continues to define it.”
Rosalynn Carter never knew life without Jimmy — she met her future husband as a newborn
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President Jimmy Carter with daughter Amy and grandson Jason on the South Lawn of the White House.
Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
In many ways, Jason seems to be the heir to his grandparents’ legacy.
He chairs the Carter Center — the human rights organization that Jimmy and Rosalynn founded after leaving the White House — and followed in his grandfather’s footsteps as a Georgia state senator from 2010 to 2015 and the state’s Democratic nominee for governor in 2014. He began his career in public service in the Peace Corps on the advice of Jimmy.
But Jason refuses to be described that way, insisting that he is just one of countless individuals whose stories reflect the hard work of his grandparents. His exact words: “There are millions of heirs.”
Rosalynn Carter’s tireless advocacy on mental health and care comes full circle
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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteer with Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat for Humanity International
Jason asks PEOPLE if he can share the story before he rushes off to another meeting.
He says that once at a McDonald’s in Cordele, Georgia, a woman ran up to his grandfather and — slurring his words — shouted, “Oh my God, do you know who you are?” Jimmy simply replied, “Yes. Who are you?”
Horrified, he says, the woman laughed along with the group at her bizarre question and posed for a few photos with the former president.
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A chance memory – one of many funny and ultimately inconsequential encounters involving Jimmy over the years – stands out to Jason as he reflects on his grandfather’s inspiring sense of direction throughout his career. Not because Jimmy responded with a perhaps accidental level of brashness, but because of the metaphor buried within the dialogue.
“The answer to that question, ‘Do you know who you are?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah.’ I think that’s actually true for him, not for everyone.”
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Source: HIS Education