As Alex Trebek continues to battle pancreatic cancer, he’s thinking of his loved ones who have supported him along the way.
As you’re likely aware, the 79-year-old was diagnosed in February 2019 and has had good days and bad days on his journey so far, with his wife Jean Trebek staying by his side through it all.
Related: Jean Trebek Explains How She Feels About Alex’s Diagnosis In Rare Sit-Down
On Monday, the Jeopardy! host told Good Morning America’s T.J. Holmes:
“There was one day a few weeks ago when Jeanie asked me in the morning, ‘How do you feel?’ And I said, ‘I feel like I wanna die.’ It was that bad. I apologize to her and explain that it has nothing to do with my love for her or my feelings for her. It just has to do with the fact that I feel like I’m a terrible burden to her. And that bothers me tremendously.”
Aww. We can only imagine how tough it must be for both of them, plus their children Matthew and Emily Trebek. Through tears, the longtime TV host called his wife a “saint” for going through the “difficult moments” with him:
“I’m just in awe of the way she handles it.”
Currently, Trebek is undergoing an experimental immunotherapy treatment, he explained:
“They do a blood test to see what my CA 19 numbers are. And the CA 19 numbers are an indicator of how your pancreatic cancer is progressing. Eight weeks ago, the numbers were at about 3,500. Now, they’re below 100. So I’m going in the right direction.”
Sounds promising!!
While Alex was optimistic about the new treatment, he has also gotten good at “faking it,” explaining that he will pretend to be feeling well when he really is not. His current goal is to make it to next February and celebrate the two-year anniversary of his diagnosis:
“My doctor has told me that he is counting on me celebrating two years of… survivorship past the diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer. And that two years happens in February. So I expect to be around ‘cause he said I will be around. And I expect to be hosting the show if I am around.”
However, he will not force himself to persevere through treatment if it’s not working, and is “not going to go to any extraordinary measures to ensure my survival,” which he recently shared with his family in an understandably “tough” conversation:
“They understand that there is a certain element regarding quality of life. And if the quality of life is not there — it’s hard sometimes to push. And just say, ‘Well, I’m gonna keep going even though I’m miserable.'”
For now, he’s focused on the release of his memoir, The Answer Is …Reflections on My Life, which drops later this month, and getting back to Jeopardy! when the new season picks up again in September.
Watch more from Alex (below):
We’re all rooting for you, Alex!!
[Image via Nicky Nelson/WENN.]
The post Alex Trebek Thinks He’s ‘A Terrible Burden’ On His Wife During Cancer Battle appeared first on Perez Hilton.