"Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek shocked fans a couple months ago by revealing he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He managed to maintain his usual poise and sense of humor in his video announcement, even quipping that he has to beat the disease "because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years!"
A Message from Alex Trebek: pic.twitter.com/LbxcIyeTCF
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 6, 2019
It was a grim diagnosis that comes with a low survival rate. The American Cancer Society estimates that three percent of patients diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer die within five years. But in a new interview with People, the game show host shared some pretty astounding news. Some of his tumors have shrunk by 50 percent and he is near remission - an update he called "mind-boggling."
Trebek credits his fans for helping speed his recovery.
“I’ve got a couple million people out there who have expressed their good thoughts, their positive energy directed toward me and their prayers,” he said. “I told the doctors, this has to be more than just the chemo, and they agreed it could very well be an important part of this.”
Trebek shared on ABC Wednesday morning that the process is not all roses. He said he's dealt with his share of physical pain before, including kidney stones, but he's never before experienced such "deep sadness." It makes him feel like a "wuss," but he's fighting.
"My oncologist tells me I'm doing well, even though I don't always feel it."
— ABC News (@ABC) May 29, 2019
Alex Trebek shares "mind-boggling" cancer update: https://t.co/7sPAv4rTAP pic.twitter.com/cBT9mPRYMA
The 78-year-old has hosted Jeopardy! since 1984. Trebek still has several rounds of chemotherapy ahead of him, but, as he mentioned, he plans to keep his job for several more years.