Jimmy Carter's youngest son Jeff diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, reveals family

WASHINGTON, DC: Jimmy Carter’s son Jeff Carter has been living with Parkinson’s disease for some time now, his family has revealed.

The medical condition of the youngest child of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter was confirmed by Jeff’s son Josh. 

"We know that [Parkinson's] is a one-way street. My dad is currently living by himself, he's able to take care of himself, he's independent, but he built his house knowing that one day he's going to need more help," he shared with People.

Jeff Carter has moved in his new residence

Josh Carter added that his 72-year-old father had moved into a new home almost a decade earlier and made it wheelchair-accessible, citing future dependency. 

"We're going into this with eyes wide open knowing that we're going to have more and more responsibilities going on, and it's just got to be a part of life," Josh explained. 

The son addressed a panel at the United Nations’ International Day of Old Persons celebration on Monday, October 7.

"He's not very open about it because he doesn't want to be the face of anything," Josh said, adding "It's just, Parkinson's sucks. It's a hard disease. It's a hard diagnosis."

Jeff Carter has two implanted batteries in brain 

During the event, Josh Carter went on to share how Jeff has two battery-powered electrodes surgically implanted in specific areas of his brain responsible for movement in the body, and it can be controlled through a remote.

"He can literally control his brain with his iPhone, which is wild," Josh said, adding "Without his therapy, he's basically not able to do anything. And then when he turns his therapy back on with his phone, then he can stand up, he can walk around, he can hold a drink without spilling it, he can eat, he can communicate. It's a night and day shift."

Citing the benefit of this technology, Josh explained, “He's able to play with my kids, he's able to play with his other grandkids. So, it's really fortunate to be in this wave of technology."

Jeff’s father to three sons –  Josh, Jeremy, and James, however, he lost his middle son Jeremy in 2015, at the age of 28. 

Jimmy Carter recently celebrated his 100th birthday after several celebrities attended the special event.