Alex Trebek revealed that he wished he had “known earlier” that the symptoms he was experiencing were tell-tale signs of pancreatic cancer in a new public service announcement.
“I wish I had known earlier that the persistent stomach pain I experienced prior to my diagnosis was a symptom of pancreatic cancer,” the 79-year-old host of “Jeopardy!” shared in the PSA, per the “Today” show in a piece published Wednesday. (RELATED: Alex Trebek Announces He Was Diagnosed With Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer)
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“Together, we can get it done,” he added, while asking others to help him bring awareness on a global scale to this type of cancer by wearing purple this November and visiting WorldPancreaticCancerday.org for more information. (RELATED: Alex Trebek Begins New Season Of ‘Jeopardy!’ After Completing Cancer Treatment)
It comes after the famous TV host announced earlier this year that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. After undergoing his first round of chemotherapy, Trebek revealed that he was on the mend and going back to work.
Not long after, the host shared that his numbers had skyrocketed up more than fifty percent and would be going in for a second round of chemotherapy which has caused some hair loss and affected his speech.
“I’m hanging in,” Trebek shared with Canada’s CTV. “So we’re back on the chemo and we’ll see if the numbers go down. And if they do… they can’t keep doing it forever of course.”
“They’ll have to find a new protocol or whatever to administer,” he added. “We’ll play it by ear and keep chugging along until we either win or lose.”
Trebek continued, “I’m not afraid of dying. I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life … if it happens, why should I be afraid that? One thing they’re not going to say at my funeral, as a part of a eulogy, is ‘He was taken from us too soon.'”