Alek Trebek opened up about his cancer treatments on Wednesday, May 1, on “Good Morning America,” his first live sit-down since his announcement on March 6 that he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.
The longtime “Jeopardy!” host said one of the hardest parts has been dealing with chemotherapy.
“My oncologist tells me I’m doing well even though I don’t always feel it,” he told “GMA’s” Robin Roberts. He added that while he’s used to dealing with pain, “what I’m not used to dealing with is these surges that come on suddenly of deep, deep sadness, and it brings tears to my eyes.”
FULL INTERVIEW: @Jeopardy‘s #AlexTrebek speaks out to @RobinRoberts after his pancreatic cancer diagnosis: “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.” https://t.co/ftmmqTXirE pic.twitter.com/tH1cdVQnsM
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 1, 2019
The 78-year-old said the treatments have been going well so far and that he is “fighting through it.” He added that it was important for him to be able to open up about the depression he is facing.
“The cancer indicators, those are coming down. I’ve got another chemo next week and we’ll do a review and see where things stand,” he said. “Chemo affects people in different ways and people have to understand that, and that there’s nothing wrong with saying ‘Hey, I’m really depressed today and I don’t know why.'”
.@Jeopardy host #AlexTrebek to @RobinRoberts after being asked how he is doing: “My oncologist says I’m doing well even though I don’t always feel it.” https://t.co/YUdvo8InwJ pic.twitter.com/T1toOLcmUm
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 1, 2019
Despite the toll the treatments are taking on him, Trebek made sure to take a moment to thank everyone for the outpouring of support he has received.
“People all over America have been sharing the good thoughts, their advice, their prayers, and I feel that it is making a difference in my well-being,” he said.
“I think I’ve learned that I’m an extremely lucky individual because, in spite of the fact that this diagnosis is not a good one, I’ve managed to receive so much love from so many people,” he said.
“Quite often you don’t get that during your lifetime. After you’ve passed, after you’re dead, people say ‘He was such a good guy, we really liked him.’ But I’m getting that all before that event and it makes me feel really, really good.”
He added that several people have reached out with their own inspiring stories of battling cancer.
“I’ve had so many contacts from people who have survived cancer for 10 years, 12 years, 14 years,” Trebek said. “I am now a 30-day cancer survivor. I’m going to catch up to those other people.”
Despite the lows of dealing with cancer, Trebek remains optimistic about the future. After hosting the show for 35 years, he said he has no plans to stop.
“Hopefully, everything is going to turn out well and I’ll be back on the air with original programming this September,” he said.
.@Jeopardy host #AlexTrebek to @RobinRoberts: “Hopefully everything is going to turn out well and I’ll be back on the air with original programming come this September.” https://t.co/YUdvo8InwJ pic.twitter.com/axBjyZzuz6
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 1, 2019
