Jimmy Carter’s Grandson Credits Stubbornness with Keeping Him Alive: ‘He’s Never Given Up on Anything’

Jimmy Carter’s grandson says that the former president’s stubbornness may be part of the reason behind his lengthy hospice care.

During an episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s “Politically Georgia” podcast aired on Monday, Dec. 2, the former president’s grandson Jason Carter said that his sheer willpower, as well as his Christian faith, have helped him live beyond his family’s initial expectations.

“We are not the ones responsible for when and how people leave this world in this kind of a way, and his faith story is one that has been important to him, and this is another part of that,” Jason said Monday during the podcast episode, also noting his grandfather’s time as a Sunday school teacher in Georgia after his presidency.

“On a more personal level, I just think he’s stubborn. I mean, he’s never given up on anything in his life and he’s not going to start now,” Jason added.

Jimmy first entered hospice care in February 2023, and many members of his family shared that he may only live for days or weeks at the time. Though he has made a few public appearances since entering hospice, the most recent of which was at his late wife Rosalynn Carter’s funeral more than a year ago, he is “physically limited” and spends his time at home with loved ones, family previously said.

Also on the podcast episode, Jason said that his grandfather has some good days and some bad days when it comes to his health, but he remains relatively “active.”

“He’s got big, good days where he’s pretty active, he’s up and active and talking and enjoying, including in politics. But most days he’s not that active, he’s going to sleep a lot of the time,” he told AJC.

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The former president turned 100 on Oct. 1, and another one of his grandsons, Josh Carter, told PEOPLE that his whole family was by his side as he celebrated in private.

“On his actual birthday we went down to see him,” Josh said. “It was my family, a lot of my cousins. He had a houseful of his kids, his grandkids, his great-grandkids,” he said, later adding that the great-grandkids blew out Jimmy’s birthday cake candles for him.

The whole day, Josh said, “was a big celebration of his family and we wanted to be there and remind him, ‘This is what you built.’ ”

Those close to the 39th president have also been candid about how his wife Rosalynn’s 2023 death at age 96 impacted him, as he has now spent most of his nearly two years in hospice without her.

“He’s surrounded by family and friends and love, and he misses Mrs. Carter terribly, every day,” Paige Alexander, CEO of The Carter Center, recently told PEOPLE. “He is still engaged in the world and interested, but he doesn’t feel the weight of the world is on his shoulders because he’s handed it off to The Carter Center to move forward.”

Jimmy filled out his ballot for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday, Oct. 16, before it was placed by Chip’s wife, Becky, in a dropbox at the Sumter County Courthouse, his son Chip and grandson Jason previously confirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“I’m only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris,” Jimmy reportedly told one of his children, according to Jason.

“I think he feels good,” Chip, 74, later said about his father completing an absentee ballot in October. “It was a good morning for him and good for us that he got it done.”