After revealing he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek is opening up about his battle.
As Dearly previously reported, in a video posted to the trivia show’s YouTube account in March, the 78-year-old told his fans that he plans to beat the cancer despite the odds being stacked against him:
“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.”
And while Trebek is keeping true to his promise, he recently explained to “Good Morning America” host Robin Roberts that it hasn’t been easy.
.@Jeopardy host #AlexTrebek to @RobinRoberts after being asked how he is doing: “My oncologist says I’m doing well even though I don’t always feel it.” https://t.co/YUdvo8InwJ pic.twitter.com/T1toOLcmUm
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 1, 2019
On Wednesday, the longtime “Jeopardy!” host told “GMA”:
“My oncologist tells me I’m doing well even though I don’t always feel it. I’ve had kidney stones, I’ve had ruptured discs, so I’m used to dealing with pain — but what I’m not used to dealing with is the surges that come on suddenly of deep, deep sadness, and it brings tears to my eyes.”
In an attempt to keep it as light as possible, Trebek joked that he discovered throughout his battle with cancer that he’s “a bit of a wuss.”
He continued:
“But I’m fighting through it. My platelets, my blood counts are steady. My weight is steady. The numbers that indicate the cancer indicators, those are coming down. So I’ve got another chemo next week, and then we’ll do a review to find out where things stand.”
Roberts then praised Trebek for being so honest about the bad stuff as well as the good.
Trebek admitted that “chemo affects people in different ways, and people have to understand that.”
He told Roberts:
“There’s nothing wrong with sayingHey, I’m really depressed today and I have no idea why. Why am I crying today?’”
Trebek went on to thank those who sent him prayers, encouraging messages, and advice, saying that it has made “a difference in my well-being.”