Alex Trebek Gives Health Update One Year After Cancer Diagnosis (VIDEO)

Meaghan Darwish March 4, 2020, 1:00 pm

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It’s been one year since Alex Trebek revealed his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis, and now the beloved Jeopardy! host is giving an update on his health.

In a new video released by the long-running game show, Trebek credits the prayers of his fans, the support of his family and much more for beating the odds. “The one-year survival rate for stage 4 pancreatic cancer patients is 18%. I’m very happy to report I have just reached that marker,” he declared.

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Trebek, who has been open about his cancer battle and the all of the symptoms that accompany it, continued, “Now I’d be lying if I said the journey had been an easy one. There were some good days but a lot of not-so-good days. I joked with friends that the cancer won’t kill me — the chemo treatments will.”

Although upbeat, Trebek also admitted that he’s endured “great moments of pain” and “sudden, massive attacks of great depression.” Luckily, he’s fought on through thanks largely to the support of his loved ones.

(Credit: Jeopardy Inc.)

He said that if he had given up the fight, “it would have been a massive betrayal — a betrayal of my wife and soulmate, Jean, who has given her all to help me survive.” Trebek added it would be a betrayal to other cancer patients, and he credited fans with his survival, saying “it would certainly have been a betrayal of my faith in God and the millions of prayers that have been said on my behalf.”

Despite the even smaller two-year survival rate, Trebek said his doctor liked his odds and claimed he’d see Trebek another year from now celebrating a new milestone. See what else Trebek had to say about his health in the full video below and don’t miss him weekdays on Jeopardy!.