It’s been one year since Alex Trebek shared his diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer with the world. The beloved Jeopardy! host has kept fans updated on his sometimes harrowing journey along the way, and his latest video update marks an exceptional milestone: In the video below, Trebek explains that only 18 percent of patients diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer survive the first year.
Trebek adds that his oncologist believes he’ll also be one of the seven percent of patients to make it to the second year. But the first year has been rather challenging for Trebek, who credits his wife, Jean, and other cancer patients with giving him hope for the future:
There were moments of great pain, days when certain bodily functions no longer functioned, and sudden massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it really was worth fighting on. But I brushed that aside quickly, because that would have been a massive betrayal — a betrayal of my wife and soulmate, Jean, who has given her all to help me survive. It would have been 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. And it would certainly have been a betrayal of my faith in God and the millions of prayers that had been said on my behalf.
Trebek concluded his video with an optimistic message: “[I]f I, no, if we—because so many of us are involved in this same situation—if we take it just one day at a time with a positive attitude, anything is possible. I’ll keep you posted.”