30th October 2019
Alex Trebek’s emotional pancreatic cancer PSA: ‘I wish I had known sooner’
By NY Post
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Alex Trebek is using his podium for good.
The 79-year-old “Jeopardy!” host says he wishes he had known sooner that he was experiencing signs of pancreatic cancer — and is urging others to be aware of the symptoms he once brushed off.
“I wish I had known sooner that the persistent stomach pain I had experienced prior to my diagnosis was a symptom of pancreatic cancer,” Trebek says in a new PSA raising awareness for the type of cancer he announced he was diagnosed with in March.
“Other common [pancreatic cancer] symptoms can include mid-back pain, unexplained weight loss, new-onset diabetes and the yellowing of the skin or eyes,” the beloved host says.
Trebek received a stage 4 diagnosis, meaning the already deadly cancer has spread to other parts of his body. And while he’s receiving chemotherapy treatment, the prognosis for the cancer isn’t usually good — a danger he points out in the PSA, which was produced with the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition.
“In nearly every country, pancreatic cancer is the only major cancer with a five-year survival rate in the single digits,” says Trebek in the PSA video. “Now in order to help patients fight and survive this disease, more attention and awareness are needed. That’s why I’ve joined forces with the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, to help raise global awareness of the risks and symptoms of pancreatic cancer.”
The cancer is also hard to diagnose in its early stages, and there is no routine screening for it, according to the American Cancer Society.
Trebek is still hosting “Jeopardy!,” but said in an update recently that it’s becoming harder to do the job. The chemotherapy treatment has created sores in his mouth, making his usually pristine pronunciation much more difficult.
“I will keep doing [the show] as long as my skills do not diminish. And they have started to diminish,” he said in a CTV interview earlier this month.
Still, he’s reaching more fans than ever before, including Debbie Stevens, a lung disease survivor from Brooklyn, who arranged a phone call with Trebek for her autistic son, Michael Kneeter, who learned about Trebek’s pancreatic cancer and wanted to wish him well.
“It wasn’t rushed,” Stevens said of their heartfelt call. “He was really concerned and caring for Michael.”
At the end of the PSA, Trebek urged all his fans to mark their calendars for World Pancreatic Cancer Day, which is Nov. 21.
“Participate this November by wearing purple, spreading the word on social media and visiting WorldPancreaticCancerDay.org to learn more. Together we can get it done,” Trebek says.
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