'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek says he had 'moments of depression' while battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer
'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek sat down with his wife Jean Trebek for an interview with ABC's Michael Strahan. He talked about his battle with cancer and his journey through treatment, giving us a glimpse into the tough moments he experienced.
The special will air on ABC Network on January 2, 2020.
Alex, 79, who was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, admits to suffering from depression while battling the disease. "I don’t mind getting choked up. My oncologist told me one of the symptoms, if you will, of pancreatic cancer is that you get these moments of depression, sadness,” said Trebek.
He was diagnosed in March and looking back at that moment, he said, “I knew as soon as the doctor came back and mentioned the pancreas. I said, ‘Uh-oh, it’s going to be cancer'."
His wife of 29 years, Jean, explained how hard it was to see her husband go through this experience and see him in pain, yet not being able to help him. Alex said, “It’s always tough for caretakers because she has to deal with her worrying about my well-being… I’m not always the most pleasant person to be around when I’m experiencing severe pain or depression, and she has to tread lightly around me."
His wife remains positive about his battle with cancer, saying, "It comes from a place of love because I want to uplift him… and when I keep my own self buoyed and enjoying my life, I can actually share that with him. He can look at me and have a sense of ‘life is beautiful; my wife is doing something good'."
A tough journey for anyone to be on, Alex admits that the support of his fans has eased the sadness a bit. “I have learned something in the past year and it’s this: We don’t know when we’re going to die. Because of the cancer diagnosis, it’s no longer an open-ended life, it’s a closed-ended life because of the terrible... survival rates of pancreatic cancer. Because of that, and something else that is operating here, people all over America and abroad have decided they want to let me know now, while I’m alive, about the impact that I’ve been having on their existence. They have come out and they have told me, and my gosh, it makes me feel so good.”