Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has been hospitalized after he became dehydrated while volunteering in Canada for a home-building charity, officials say. The former leader is said to be doing OK.
Carter, who is 92, was helping with a project in Winnipeg and was building a set of stairs along with his wife and other volunteers. He began feeling weak after spending about 2 hours in the sun, the Canadian Press reported.
“He had just said that he needed to take a break and so he sat down,” Manitoba Families Minister Scott Fielding, who also volunteered, told the Canadian Press. “He sat down there and his secret security were there as well. They hydrated him, giving him some water and some Gatorade.”
Carter required assistance to walk to a nearby trailer and an ambulance was called, after which he was taken to St. Boniface General Hospital for rehydration. His wife, Rosalynn, was with him at the hospital, his spokeswoman said.
“President Carter was dehydrated working in the hot sun in Winnipeg during the Carter Work Project,” Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford said. “President Carter told us he is okay and is being taken offsite for observation. He encourages everyone to stay hydrated and keep building.”
It was not immediately known how long Carter would remain in hospital, but his condition does not appear to be serious.
Carter served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 until 1981 and was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his work through the Carter Center. The former president is well-known for his charity work and peace negotiations since leaving office.
Carter is in good health for his age, though he was hospitalized several times over the past decade. The former president underwent surgery in 2015 to remove a tumor in his liver, after which doctors found spots of melanoma on his brain, for which he was treated.
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