Jimmy Carter will undergo radiation for cancer

ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Jimmy Carter is leaving open the possibility of taking a previously planned trip to Nepal despite undergoing radiation treatment for cancer on his brain.

Carter said today in his first public remarks since revealing his cancer diagnosis that if he doesn't make the trip to Nepal in November, others from his family would probably go in his place. He says he will cut back on some work and his schedule. He says his first radiation treatment will be this afternoon.

Carter also says he will teach Sunday School at his hometown in Plains, Ga., this weekend, and that he plans to teach as long as he's able.

He appeared at the news conference in a dark blazer, red tie and jeans and was surrounded by friends and family.

Carter was the nation's 39th president, defeating Gerald Ford in 1976. Ronald Reagan succeeded him in 1980 after a landslide victory. Carter rebuilt his career as a humanitarian, founding the Carter Center in 1982 to focus on global health care and democracy. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.