Olivia Newton-John Sent Alex Trebek An Inspiring Message Amid Cancer Battle
Olivia Newton-John has reached out to Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek following his announcement earlier this month that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Entertainment Tonight reported.
The 70-year-old, who is going through her own battle with breast cancer for the third time, recently revealed the inspiring message she sent to the game show host after learning of his diagnosis.
“I sent him a message saying that, ‘I know you can get through this,’ and, ‘Don’t listen to stage four and all of [that],'” she explained in an interview with Entertainment Tonight on Monday, March 11. “‘Don’t read the statistics and stay focused and see how you can heal yourself.'”
Olivia shared that she also stressed to Trebek the importance of having a sense of humor throughout his cancer battle.
“He has a great attitude and a great sense of humor about it and I’m sure he’ll do very well,” she said.
Trebek announced his diagnosis with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in a video shared to Jeopardy!‘s YouTube account last Wednesday, March 6. The 78-year-old assured fans that he was prepared to fight the disease and, with the support from family, friends, and fans, planned to overcome the grim survival rate statistics. As The Inquisitr previously reported, the odds of beating pancreatic cancer — especially at such an advanced stage — are extremely low. According to Dr. Mallika Marshall, the disease yields only a 20 percent survival rate one year post-diagnosis, and only about 7 percent survive after five years.
“Truth be told I have to, because under the terms of my contract I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years,” he joked, demonstrating the sense of humor that Olivia Newton-John explained was “vital” when going through something such as battling cancer.
"Normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging," Alex Trebek says after announcing he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
"But I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working.” https://t.co/vBFzwJmlWC pic.twitter.com/6Oopqprc5h
— ABC News (@ABC) March 7, 2019
Olivia’s encouraging message to the quiz show host comes amid her own battle with breast cancer, which she revealed in September last year that she was going through for a third time after doctors discovered a tumor at the base of her spine.
The Grease star was first diagnosed in 1992, overcoming the disease after months of chemotherapy treatment and a partial mastectomy. Unfortunately, the breast cancer returned in May 2017 and had spread to her shoulder.
Olivia Newton-John is sending Alex Trebek words of encouragement following his recent cancer announcement. ??https://t.co/N2IKGctYGZ
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) March 11, 2019
Many reports said that Olivia was fighting for her life amid her current battle with breast cancer; however, The Inquisitr previously noted that the actress disputed the claims, calling them “exaggerated” in a short video posted to her Twitter account earlier this year in which she also assured fans that she is “doing great.”
