Carter still building

MEMPHIS - Jimmy Carter resumed his role as Habitat for Humanity's most prominent booster on Monday, donning a white hard hat and a worn leather belt stocked with his own tools to hammer and saw with other volunteers building a home in Memphis.

"We haven't cut back on my schedule yet," Carter said, seeming invigorated during an Associated Press interview. "I know it's going to come, particularly if my cancer progresses, but we don't yet know what the result will be from the treatments."

The former president celebrated his 91st birthday in October, and is undergoing treatment on cancer found in his liver and brain. But he was sure-footed on the construction site as he moved from one task to another, helping place pre-framed walls, hammering nails into place, and sawing boards, while occasionally shouting questions or suggestions at the rest of the crew.

His wife, Rosalynn Carter, 88, hammered brackets to secure the walls. "Hard work," she said with a soft laugh.

Carter and the Atlanta-based charity have been practically synonymous for more than 30 years. His presidential museum even has his work boots and a hammer on display. Since leaving the White House, the Carters have personally been involved with 3,943 projects in 14 countries for the charity, which has helped five million people with home construction and repairs.

Each year since 1984, the couple has volunteered a week of their time to "Carter work projects," drawing thousands of volunteers. The streak seemed at risk in August when he revealed his illness, casting doubt on his ability to travel to a remote region of Nepal this month.

Ultimately, doctors approved the trip, but it was canceled due to concerns about civil unrest in the region, Carter said. He said that he had been looking forward to the Nepal build, which would have involved making walls woven of bamboo.

Carter traveled to Memphis instead. By late morning, all the walls were framed and volunteers were placing wood planks around the exterior.

Carter got a single dose of radiation, targeted at four tumors on his brain, in August, and four treatments since then of Keytruda, a newly approved drug that helps his immune system seek out cancer cells.