Alex Trebek has made a career out of providing answers as the longtime host of Jeopardy!.
And the one he gave today may just be his most touching one yet.
The Jeopardy! host gave an update on his battle with pancreatic cancer, one year after his stage four diagnosis.
In the two-minute clip posted by the show’s Twitter account, Trebek talked about making it to the one-year mark while facing a disease with just an 18% one-year survival rate. He spoke candidly about the triumph—and struggle—of the past 12 months. “I’d be lying if I said the journey had been an easy one. There were some good days, but a lot of not-so-good days. I joked with friends that the cancer won’t kill me, the chemo treatments will.”
Trebek said in addition to physical ailments brought on by cancer, he’s dealt with “sudden, massive attacks of great depression”—depression that made him wonder if the difficult fight was even worth fighting.
But he quickly confirmed the fight was—and is—worth it, because of his devoted wife, Jean; because of other cancer patients who look to the beloved game show host for inspiration and hope; and because of his faith in God and the millions of prayers offered on his behalf.
Watch the update below:
A one-year update from Alex: pic.twitter.com/W9101suZeZ
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 4, 2020
The two-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is just 7%, but Trebek’s oncologist told him he’s confident he will continue defying the odds.
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And Trebek certainly seems to be in the right frame of mind for the next chapter of his cancer fight. “If we take it just one day at a time, with a positive attitude, anything is possible,” he said.
It really leaves only one thing left to say:
“What is exactly the kind of hope and inspiration we all need, Alex?'”