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The TV host continued, “Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.”
Trebek, who has now hosted
“And with the love and support of my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low-survival-rate statistics for this disease,” he said.
RELATED: Alex Trebek Says Cancer Diagnosis Brings Sudden ‘Surges of Deep Sadness’: ‘It Brings Tears to My Eyes’
Last week, Trebek stopped by
“People all over America have been sharing their good thoughts, their advice, their prayers. And I feel it is making a difference in my well-being,” said Trebek in his first live interview since revealing the news of his cancer diagnosis.
Trebek went on to express his gratitude over being “considered an inspiration to other people,” and added that he felt the same sentiment for individuals who have battled the disease before him.
“I’ve had so many contacts from people who have survived cancer for 10 years, 12 years, 14 years,” he said. “I am now a 30-day survivor…I’m going to catch up to those other people.”
“But they have been an inspiration to me, and that’s really what it’s all about,” Trebek added. “It’s drawing attention to this particular type of devastating cancer, making people aware of it, telling them that they should take certain precautions beforehand to find out because we never discover pancreatic cancer until it’s too late, unfortunately.”
As for his own situation, Trebek candidly told Roberts, 58, that his oncologist said he is “doing well” despite not always feeling well.
“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,” he admitted.
“I’ve discovered in this whole episode, ladies and gentlemen, that I’m a bit of a wuss,” Trebek joked. “But I’m fighting through it. My platelets, my blood counts are steady, my weight is steady … the cancer indicators – those are coming down. I’ve got another chemo next week and then we’ll do a review to find out where things stand.”
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