It’s been one year since Alex Trebek shared his diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer with the world. The beloved Jeopardy! host has kept fans updated on his sometimes harrowing journey along the way, and his latest video update marks an exceptional milestone: In the video below, Trebek explains that only 18 percent of patients diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer survive the first year.
Trebek adds that his oncologist believes he’ll also be one of the seven percent of patients to make it to the second year. But the first year has been rather challenging for Trebek, who credits his wife, Jean, and other cancer patients with giving him hope for the future:
There were moments of great pain, days when certain bodily functions no longer functioned, and sudden massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it really was worth fighting on. But I brushed that aside quickly, because that would have been a massive betrayal — a betrayal of my wife and soulmate, Jean, who has given her all to help me survive. 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. And it would certainly have been a betrayal of my faith in God and the millions of prayers that had been said on my behalf.
Trebek concluded his video with an optimistic message: “[I]f I, no, if we—because so many of us are involved in this same situation—if we take it just one day at a time with a positive attitude, anything is possible. I’ll keep you posted.”
57 Comments
This reminds me of xkcd:
I was legitimately confused why there was no mouseover text for a second.
Cancer sucks. =(
More then any human can ever articulate. You can read and learn but you can never understand unless you’ve gone through it with someone. An experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone. It makes one so lonesome to ponder it just makes you cry.
Yep, even in the best cases you learn later on how it’s impacted you. I had kidney cancer, caught early before it escaped my kidney. One partial nephrectomy later and I was “cured.” I didn’t have to have chemo or radio therapies, I was never worried about the outcome. When it really hit home was when I saw a weird mole on my neck a few years later and my brain just suddenly popped up the question “what if it’s cancer?” (It wasn’t, just a mole.) Even though I knew mine had never escaped, that fear is there now, and will be the rest of my life.
I’m happy you beat it. I never tire of those stories, of kicking it in the fucking ass.
I know how it pulls on those dustbunnies in my eyes, but I still remember the first time I saw that particular xkcd and it still gets to me.
I actually remember this last year, because tomorrow last year is when I found out my 55 year old mother had pancreatic cancer. She passed away two months later…I can’t believe it’s already almost been a year.
Sorry to hear about your mom. For my dad it was March 2018 for the diagnosis, and he made it to July. My guess is that the biggest difference for Alex is in getting the diagnosis early, and that’s where being able to afford the best doctors in the country/world can really make the difference. I know my dad was feeling symptoms for easily a year and saw dozens of doctors before they figured out what the hell it was, and by then he wasn’t healthy enough for ongoing treatment.I really hope for the best for Alex, but the fact that being able to keep yourself alive in our country (assuming you’re in the US too) is directly tied to how wealthy you are makes me pretty sick.
Even if he wasn’t wealthy he is Canadian so he could always come home for treatment.
Same here. My mom was diagnosed in January of ‘13 and she was gone by August that year. By the time she was actually diagnosed she had been fighting what we thought was pancreatitis for four months. There’s some days it’s not so easy remembering.
I really really really hope he pulls through. But everytime I see his name trending I just kinda assume the worst. I keep waiting for the shoe to drop. One day you look like your pulling through and the next… I’m going by experience. When it comes, its fast. To paraphrase Jimmie Rogers, he’s like a lion but I just feel he’s gonna lose, cause nobody ever truly beats the cancer blues.
“When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”~Stu Scott
True. My mom had a year left when she got diagnosed. It was a well spent year but you always wish you could do more. To finish what I said above, the graveyards such a lonely place. Added time is always great but your mind never lingers on what you got, its what you lost.
And dammit now I’m tearing up that it’s a world without Stuart Scott. BOOYA, good man in heaven.
By and large, stage 4 cancer has spread beyond control – there is no recovering, just putting off death as long as possible.
New advancements have been made over the last year that would laugh at your statement. Cancer is being beaten. Slowly, but surely. When we’re all in our 60’s I expect that cancer will be treated with much less seriousness than it does today.
Ever since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to make it to 100. I’m hoping for some medical advancements:)
Based off todays average of like 70-80, i’d say that we’ll probably hit 100 no problem. That is, unless a disaster changes that.
I pray your right. It’ll be a mixed moment when that day comes. Joy for those that won’t ever have to worry, and sorrow for those that didn’t make it to that day.
Believe me I know. My mother got stage four liver cancer. Lived for little more then a year.
I’m sorry to hear that – just took “pulls through” as “fully recovers”, my bad if that wasn’t the intent.
I don’t think you can pull through on pancreatic cancer… its more of how long can you survive with it.
My wife’s grandfather made it. Don’t know how, but he actually fought it long enough that it went into remission. This was the early 2000s too. It was still in remission when he died of a head injury in 2011.
Oh had no idea… glad to hear there is a chance
> only 18 percent of patients diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer survive the first year
I’m sure having millions and millions of dollars helped in that regard.
Cancer does not give two damns of how rich you are. See also Steve Jobs.
You must be fun at parties.
Oh FFS man…
I mean, it’s cold, but he’s not wrong.
Hey, someone rang the “I’m an asshat” bell!
Jobs lived 8 years after his diagnosis…. so yea…
Keepin’ it so reeeaaalll!!
Money doesn’t magically make the treatments work any better dude.
it kind of does (Ive had it bad twice.)
Getting treatments for stage 4 cancer can’t be cheap though.
Ah shoot, sorry, forgot that the US doesnt have free health care. nm.
Money makes it possible to access the treatments.
Alex Trebek has the advantage of not being an egomaniacal shithead.
No, but I’ll bet enough of it could buy transfusions from RBG.
No, but money affords you the very best and latest treatments. He most definitely did not just get the basic chemo and someone to help him cross your fingers. The newest advances in cancer treatments are not being given to your basic Medicare recipient. If you want the latest advancements, you pay for them, and Trebek has the money to go that route. Good on him, of course. I’m not dissing the guy for using his money to try to extend his life.
Yeah, i forget that the US charges you to live.
Like Steve Jobs?
(op is kindve a jackass) but to be fair, Jobs was a loon who disobeyed his doctor’s instructions until the last moment because he believed fruit could cure his cancer.
To be fair, Steve’s kind was very treatable with a high success rate when caught when his was caught and treated right away, but he tried to naturopath his way through it for the first six months which, obviously, didn’t work.
He was possibly *too* rich.
Jobs stopped taking sound medical advice in favour of alternative medicine. He delayed surgery on his tumour for almost year, so that he could treat himself with unproven bullshit.
Finally! A reason to be rich! You’re kinda a douche.
I really like Alex Trebek, I think he’s a great human being and has brought joy to many people for couple of decades now (if not more) — but wealth does affect how much access to healthcare you get. My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer as well and lasted 3 months; she passed away last November, 2 days before her 70th birthday.
Patrick Swayze wasn’t exactly poor and he barely made it a year.
I know when you see personalities on TV you don’t see the real them but I always got the sense Trebek was one of the good guys. Throughout all this I am convinced Trebek is one of the good guys.
He’ll always be one of the good guys because he’s the last of the people I grew up watching with my grandmother in the early ‘80s. She’s been gone since 2016, but I’ll still remember being a 7 year old enraptured with Greek mythology and Final! Jeopardy came on some summer day in 1983 and while I was only kinda watching, I heard the answer and before the song even finished I said “who are Jason and the Argonauts?”. My grandmother laughed and then then was shocked when none of the contestants got it right. I thought L&O would be the mainstay of my TV watching life. I was wrong. It’s Jeopardy!
the first time I had cancer, I became obsessed with jeopardy because it was the last show I could stay awake for to watch with my wife when I was on chemo. When alex announced he had cancer it was genuinely heartbreaking for me. Ive had it again this year (I’m a very lucky guy) and his recovery has been really inspirational for me, and the honesty he’s spoke about his experience with. Its hard to talk about this stuff in public because people 1) don’t have a clue and 2) don’t want to be reminded of the grim spectre of death. anyway, good for you alex! grow your mustache back!
Yeah, just like it did for Steve Jobs.
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Ive been watching Jeopardy every day for months now just enjoying every day he gets to do it, and Johnny Gilbert too. Johnny is NINETY-FIVE still in the studio doing the THIS! IIIIIIS JEOPARDY thing. The inevitable reality is that in the near future, Jeopardy will have two iconic slots to fill, so I want to make sure I take in every day they have the good fortune to go to work.
My grandma survived pancreatic cancer back in the 90’s when the survival rate was less than 1% for anyone. I really am thankful for Alex and I really think he can beat the odds as long as he keeps his positive attitude. And the only thing I have to go off of is my grandma, who over 20 years later is still doing great.