Alex Trebek Gives Emotional & Heart-Warming Update On His Cancer Status

Beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek took to social media on Wednesday to give his fans an update about his cancer status. The 79-year-old television personality has been open with the public about his battle, and his latest message is just one more way in which the small screen icon has connected with his millions of fans.

Trebek, in a video posted to Twitter, started the message by explaining that his cancer diagnosis has hit the one year marked. Then he pointed out that the one year survival rate for stage 4 pancreatic cancer is just 18 percent. Because of his success, the entertainer was “happy” to have “reached that marker.”

It was that this point in which the famed Jeopardy! host opened up with his personal experience battling the disease, sharing intimate details about the difficult situation he — and so many other cancer patients — undergo.

“I would be lying if I said the journey was an easy one. There were some good days, but a lot of not-so-good days,” he said, joking that he had told friends that it would not be cancer that eventually killed him, but the chemotherapy treatments.

Trebek also documented the intense pain he often felt during his battle, in addition to the effects on both his body and his mental state.

“There were moments… when certain bodily functions no longer functioned and some massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it was really worth fighting on,” he said.

However, Trebek added that he always tried to ignore those dark thoughts, stating that he believed it would be a “massive betrayal.”

A one-year update from Alex: pic.twitter.com/W9101suZeZ

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 4, 2020

The affable host first said that it would have been a betrayal of his wife and “soulmate” Jean, whom he credited for helping him throughout the process.

But his wife was not the only person Trebek named in his speech.

“It would have been a betrayal of other cancer patients, who have looked to me as an inspiration and a cheerleader of sorts of the value of living and hope,” he continued.

“And it would certainly have been a betrayal of my faith in God and the millions of prayers that have been said on my behalf,” Trebek added.

The television legend concluded his message with the statistic that only seven percent of pancreatic cancer patients make it to the two-year mark. However, Trebek finished with his hope that he would be in that small minority and celebrating with his doctor in 12 months’ time.

Almost immediately after posting, the upload started trending on Twitter with tweets claiming Trebek’s message was inspiring and heart-warming. Many also tweeted the septuagenarian wishes for his health and happiness.

The social media update was not the first time Trebek had made headlines on Wednesday. He was also praised for a $100,000 donation to fight homelessness, as was previously reported by The Inquisitr.