Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has offered his support to Rep. John Lewis, amid both men currently going through battles with cancer, saying, per Politico, “We’re starting a new year, and let’s see if we can’t both complete the year as pancreatic cancer survivors.” Trebek revealed his cancer diagnosis in March 2019, saying in a record statement, “Hi everyone, I have some news to share with all of you and it’s in keeping with my longtime policy of being open and transparent with our Jeopardy! fan base. I also wanted to prevent you from reading or hearing some overblown or inaccurate reports regarding my health. So therefore, I wanted to be the one to pass along this information.
“Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer,” he continued his statement. “Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working. 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.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years! So help me. Keep the faith and we’ll win. We’ll get it done,” Trebek’s statement concluded. “Thank you.”
Lewis, a beloved Congressman and civil rights icon, revealed his cancer diagnosis in December, issuing a statement that detailed the cancer is stage four. However, he also shared that doctors have told him that he does have a “fighting chance” to beat the illness.
“I have been in some kind of fight- for freedom, equality, basic human rights – for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now,” Lewis said. “This month in a routine medical visit, and subsequent tests, doctors discovered Stage IV pancreatic cancer. This diagnosis has been reconfirmed. While I am clear-eyed about the prognosis, doctors have told me that recent medical advances have made this type of cancer treatable in many cases, that treatment options are no longer as debilitating as they once were, and that I have a fighting chance.
“So I have decided to do what I know to do and do what I have always done: I am going to fight it and keep fighting for the Beloved Community. We still have many bridges to cross,” he added.
