Alex Trebek Says 'We Will Beat Cancer' While Joining Cancer Survivors at Los Angeles Event
Alex Trebek is doing everything he can for the fight against cancer.
The 78-year-old Jeopardy! host attended PurpleStride Los Angeles, the walk to end pancreatic cancer, on Saturday, where he shared some inspiring words with cancer survivors.
"As you all know, survivorship is measured starting from the date you are diagnosed with cancer," Trebek, who was recently diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, told the crowd. "And on that scale, my gosh, I am a 62-day survivor."
"All of you guys here have done what Jeopardy! James has done on our television show and that is, in terms of fundraising, you have exceeded expectations," he said -- mentioningJeopardy! winner James Holzhauer who passed the $1 million mark in winnings last month.
He then directed his attention to the event's participants, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, the survivors who will help get the message across that there is hope and if we keep working at it, we will beat cancer."
The TV host also added that as a cancer survivor his hope is that he gets "to match their accomplishments."
The walk was hosted by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) Los Angeles Affiliate and presented by the Kathryn Naficy Pancreatic Foundation. PanCAN is the leading pancreatic cancer patient advocacy organization dedicating to fighting the world’s toughest cancer.
In March, Trebek revealed that he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. On Wednesday, he gave his first interview since sharing his devastating news, appearing on Good Morning America and giving an honest update about his health.
"My oncologist tells me I'm doing well, even though I don't always feel it," he told GMA's Robin Roberts, who herself is a cancer survivor. "But I've had kidney stones, I've had ruptured disks, 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."
"I discovered in this whole episode, ladies and gentlemen, that I'm a bit of a wuss, but I'm fighting through it," he shared. "My platelets, my blood counts are steady, my weight is steady. The cancer indicators, those are coming down. So, I've got another chemo next week and then we'll do a review of where things stand."
He continued by expressing that it's important to be honest about the emotional effects of cancer.
"Chemo affects people in different ways, and people have to understand that," he noted. "And there's nothing wrong with saying, 'Hey, I'm really depressed today and I have no idea why.' Why am I crying today?"
See more of Trebek's first interview in the video below.
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