Alex Trebek is a joker and a fighter — but that doesn’t mean he’s not afraid. On Wednesday, the “Jeopardy!” host sat down with “Good Morning America” to give an update on his pancreatic cancer battle, confessing that he’s not used to dealing with the “surges” of depression that come with this struggle.
“I’ve had kidney stones, I’ve had ruptured discs, so I’m used to dealing with pain,” Trebek told “GMA” host Robin Roberts. “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. I’ve discovered in this whole episode, ladies and gentleman, that I’m a bit of a wuss,” he added, jokingly.
The 78-year-old says his “oncologist tells me I’m doing well, even though I don’t always feel it.”
“But I’m fighting through it. My platelets, my blood count’s are steady, my weight are steady,” he said. “The cancer indicators, those are coming down. So I’ve got another chemo next week and then we’ll do a review to find out where things stand.”
He noted that “chemo affects people in different ways and people have to understand that and there is nothing wrong with saying, ‘Hey, I’m really depressed today and I have no idea why.’”
Trebek revealed in March that he’d been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, leading to his future as the host of “Jeopardy!” to become the subject of some speculation. But last month, the host promised to return for the new season in the fall.
“People all over America have been sharing their good thoughts, their advice, their prayers,” Trebek told Roberts Wednesday. “And I feel it’s been making a difference.”
“I’ve had so many contacts from people who have survived cancer for 10 years, 12 years, 14 years,” he added. “I am now a 30-day cancer survivor … I’m going to catch up to those other people, but they have been an inspiration to me.”
Watch the video above.