Alex Trebek has some wonderful news. The Jeopardy! host announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, a serious and aggressive form of cancer that has a 9% survival rate, back in March. Now, after three months of treatment, Trebek says he's "near remission."
"It's kind of mind-boggling," he told People for the magazine's cover story. "The doctors said they hadn't seen this kind of positive result in their memory... some of the tumors have already shrunk by more than 50%."
While Trebek attributes much of his progress to his medical staff and chemotherapy, he also said his fans have been vital in helping him persevere.
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"I've got a couple million people out there who have expressed their good thoughts, their positive energy directed towards me, and their prayers," he told People. "I told the doctors, this has to be more than just the chemo, and they agreed it could very well be an important part of this. I've got a lot of love out there headed in my direction and a lot of prayer, and I will never ever minimize the value of that."
The good news comes during an important time. The 78-year-old Jeopardy! host, whose current contract runs until 2022, is still undergoing treatment, and has openly admitted experiencing bouts of depression.
"I have kidney stones, I have had ruptured discs, so I am used to dealing with pain," Trebek told Good Morning America earlier this month. "But what I am not used to dealing with is these surges that come on suddenly of deep, deep sadness. And it brings tears to my eyes."
"Chemo affects people in different ways, and people have to understand that," he added. "There is nothing wrong with saying, 'Hey, I am really depressed today, and I have no idea why. Why am I crying today?'"
Trebek added that his strategy is to "take it as it comes" and celebrate the positives. He made that clear during his initial announcement, which he shared on Jeopardy!'s YouTube channel.
"Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I'm going to fight this, and I'm going to keep working," he said. "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 rates for this disease."
In addition to hosting his famed game show, Trebek has been raising money to help others with pancreatic cancer and to fund research. Earlier in May, Trebek gave the keynote address at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's PurpleStride Los Angeles 2019 walk, where his team raised more than $65,000. Overall, the event raised more than $697,000 and surpassed its goal of $600,000.
Let's hope this uplifting update is the first of many to come.