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‘Jeopardy!’ host Alex Trebek says cancer fight includes bouts of ‘deep, deep sadness’

Frank Carnevale
By Frank Carnevale
2 Min Read May 1, 2019 | 7 years Ago
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“Jeopardy!” champion James Holzhauer has been making all the news in recent weeks, but host Alex Trebek shared an update on his battle with pancreatic cancer on Wednesday.

In an interview with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America,” the game show host talked about the how he’s feeling and the range of emotions that come with treatment.

“My oncologist tells me I’m doing well even though I don’t always feel it,” he said.

“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,“ Trebek, 78, continued.

“I’ve discovered in this whole episode … that I’m a bit of a wuss. But I’m fighting through it.

“My platelets, my blood counts are steady. My weight is steady. The numbers that indicate the cancer … 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.”

“Bless you for being so honest and talking about the bad, as well as the good,” said Roberts, who had a bout with myelodysplastic syndrome, a disease of the bone marrow, which she recovered from in 2013.

Trebek announced his Stage 4 cancer diagnosis in early March but said he would continue to host the show and return in September for the new season. Trebek has been the host for 35 years.

Trebek also shared that he’s excited about Holzhauer’s run of wins.

After the interview Roberts and Trebek shared a hug.

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About the Writers

Frank Carnevale is the TribLive multimedia editor. He started at the Trib in 2016 and has been part of several news organizations, including the Providence Journal and Orlando Sentinel. He can be reached at fcarnevale@triblive.com.

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