Jeopardy host Alex Trebek gave a positive update on his battle with pancreatic cancer.
The legendary television personality – who turns 80 next week – announced the encouraging news via a video message posted on Thursday.
He sported a new goatee as he said: ‘I’d also like to take this opportunity to give you a quick health update.
Icon: Jeopardy host Alex Trebek gave a positive update on his battle with pancreatic cancer
‘I’m doing well, I’ve been continuing my treatment, and it is paying off, though it does fatigue me a great deal. My numbers are good, I’m feeling great.’
Things certainly seem to be trending up as Trebek celebrated beating the one-year survival rate for stage 4 pancreatic cancer patients with a heartfelt video shared to his legions of fans back in March.
The famed host admitted that his journey hasn’t been easy and he’s battled with bouts of ‘great depression‘ through the process.
Positive news: The legendary television personality – who turns 80 next week – announced the encouraging news via a video message posted on Thursday
Trending up: He sported a new goatee as he said: ‘I’d also like to take this opportunity to give you a quick health update’
‘I’m doing well, I’ve been continuing my treatment, and it is paying off, though it does fatigue me a great deal. My numbers are good, I’m feeling great’: He said
He remained optimistic about reaching two years of recovery, though, with support from his wife and ‘soulmate’ Jean, in addition to the ‘millions of prayers’ sent from well-wishers around the world.
‘The one year survival rate for stage 4 pancreatic cancer patients is 18 percent,’ he said. ‘I’m very happy to report I have just reached that marker.’
In March 2019, the longtime host of Jeopardy!, revealed he had stage 4 of the disease, and that the prognosis was ‘not very encouraging’.
‘I’d be lying if I said the journey had been an easy one,’ he admitted. ‘There were some good days but a lot of not so good days. I joked with friends that cancer won’t kill me, the chemo treatments will.
Impressive: Trebek celebrated beating the one-year survival rate for stage 4 pancreatic cancer patients with a heartfelt video shared to his legions of fans back in March
‘I’d be lying if I said the journey had been an easy one,’ he admitted. ‘There were some good days but a lot of not so good days. I joked with friends that cancer won’t kill me, the chemo treatments will’
There were moments of great pain, days when certain bodily functions no longer functioned and sudden, massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it really was worth fighting on.’
Trebek did his best to release the challenging feelings surrounding his serious illness and focused on staying positive.
‘I brushed that aside quickly because that would have been a massive betrayal, a betrayal of my wife and soulmate Jean who has given her all to help me survive,’ he said.
‘I brushed that aside quickly because that would have been a massive betrayal, a betrayal of my wife and soulmate Jean who has given her all to help me survive,’ he said.
Alex has been married to real estate project manager Jean Currivan since 1990 and the couple has two children together, Matthew and Emily.
In a video posted to the World Pancreatic Cancer Day YouTube page back in November, Trebek talked about the symptoms he dealt with.
Pancreatic cancer is notoriously lethal because its signs are vague, and rarely appear until late stages when the cancer has spread far, making it harder to treat.
Statement: In a video posted to the World Pancreatic Cancer Day YouTube page back in November, Trebek talked about the symptoms he dealt with
‘I wished I had known sooner that the persistent stomach pain I experienced prior to my diagnosis was a symptom of pancreatic cancer,’ Trebek says in the clip.
‘Other common symptoms can include mid-back pain, unexplained weight loss, new onset diabetes and the yellowing of the skin or eyes.’
Trebek says he decided to join forces with the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition to make the PSA because ‘more attention and awareness are needed’ to help patients ‘fight and survive this disease.’
In the clip, Trebek (left and right) discussed the signs and symptoms of the disease and said he ‘wished he had known sooner’. He asked viewers to wear purple in November and spread awareness on social media
He asked viewers ‘to join me in this fight’ by wearing purple in November and ‘spreading the word on social media’.
He ends by saying: ”Together, we can get it done.’
Pancreatic cancer is caused by the abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in the pancreas, a large gland in the digestive system.
It typically doesn’t show symptoms in the early stages. Sufferers tend to develop signs, such as back pain and jaundice, when it has spread to other organs.
Less than seven percent of patients survive five years, which means pancreatic cancer has one of the worst survival rates of all common cancers.
Trebek revealed he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in a video message posted to YouTube in March 2019. Pictured: Trebek holds the award for outstanding game show host at the Daytime Emmy Awards in April 2006
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