Things weren’t looking good for Alex Trebek a year ago after he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Which is why he has managed to inspire people by fighting on and sharing messages of positivity while he’s at it.

The Jeopardy! host shared a new video where he said that despite having only an 18 percent one-year survival rate, he had passed that milestone and plans to do so again next year.

“I am very happy to report that I have just reached that marker,” Trebek says, referring to that statistic.

But that didn’t mean the journey was easy.

“There were some good days, but a lot of not so good days,” he says. “I joke with friends that the cancer won’t kill me, but the chemo will.”

In an interview last May, Trebek said that his first round of chemo was really good, with some of the tumors shrinking by 50 percent. But in late summer, those numbers went back up, necessitating another round of chemo. The side effects of chemo sometimes leave him depleted and even depressed.

But despite everything, he beat the odds.

“Sudden massive attacks of great depressions that made me wonder if it was really worth fighting on,” he says in the video. “But I brushed that aside quickly because that would have been a massive betrayal — a betrayal of my wife and soulmate Jean, who has helped me survive. 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.”

He adds, “And it certainly would have been a betrayal of my faith in God and the millions of prayers that have been said on my behalf.”

Trebek further noted that while the two-year survival rate is only 7 percent, he doesn’t see why he can’t continue fighting and beating the odds. He also had a message to all other fellow patients and survivors.

“So many of us are involved in this same situation,” he says. “If we take it just one day at a time with a positive attitude, anything is possible.”

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) also praised Trebek for being candid about his journey and spreading awareness about pancreatic cancer.

“Throughout the past year, Trebek has transformed the conversation around pancreatic cancer and provided hope to people impacted by this disease,” they said in a statement while pointing out that his having made it to one year was an important milestone that could only inspire others.

The organization added that the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer inched closer to 10 percent in January, the first time such a double-digit number was reported.

In the meantime, Trebek also isn’t planning to hang up his hat anytime soon.

“He has no plans to quit, and is absolutely not announcing his retirement [anytime soon],” a coworker said in October.

“We’ll play it by ear and keep chugging along until we either win or lose,” Trebek said at the time.

 

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