One Year On From His Cancer Diagnosis, Alex Trebek Gave Jeopardy! Fans A Moving Update On His Health
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek was renowned for his sunny nature. But in March 2019 the beloved star received the devastating news that he had stage four pancreatic cancer. There followed an outpouring of support from people all across America, and so Trebeck vowed to continue presenting Jeopardy! for as long as he could. And for a time, everything seemed to be going well. Then, in early 2020, the host reached the year milestone since his diagnosis – and he marked the occasion with an emotional post that let fans know how he had really been doing.
Opening Up
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Trebeck decided to be so open with his followers, though. Back in March 2019, after all, the host shared the news about his cancer on YouTube. In a video released on the Jeopardy! channel, he said, “Just like 50,000 other people in the U.S. each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.”
Optimistic Outlook
Trebek continued, “Now, normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this. And I’m going to keep working and with the love and support of my family and friends – and with the help of your prayers also – I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.” For reference, the American Cancer Society states that only around 9 percent of those with pancreatic cancer live for five years.
Keeping It Light
However, Trebek had clearly not lost his sense of humor. He continued, “Truth told, I have to [keep working] because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years. So help me. Keep the faith, and we’ll win. We’ll get it done.”
Making An Exit Plan
And it turned out that Trebek already knew how he planned to bow out of Jeopardy!. In early 2020, you see, he shared what he had in mind for his last day on the show. The presenter was close-mouthed about when that day would come, of course, but he did know exactly how he pictured it happening.
