Alex Trebek, 79, award-winning television personality of the popular, classic game show, “Jeopardy!,” has been receiving an outpouring of support and messages, since announcing his diagnosis and subsequent treatment for stage 4 pancreatic cancer last March.
The long-time “Jeopardy!” host was recently recognized by 2019 “Jeopardy! Teen Tournament” champion Avi Gupta, 18, who donated more than $10,000 of his winnings to pancreatic cancer research in honor of the man he claims has “been a role model for me my whole life.” Gupta, who took home $100,000 last summer after winning the tournament, told CBS affiliate WBNS-TV that he hopes his donation will make a difference.
“Everyone knows someone or has been affected by cancer in some way,” Gupta said. “I believe scientists are winning the fight against cancer, we just need to help them to do more.”
In addition to Gupta, contestant Dhruv Gaur made Trebek emotional during a “Tournament of Champions Game” with a heartwarming message of support. The Brown University student used his “Final Jeopardy” answer to write: “We love you, Alex!”
“That’s very kind of you, thank you,” an emotional Trebek responded, after reading the message aloud.
Although Gaur’s answer cost him $1,995, it earned him an invitation to “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” where the talk show host surprised him with a $25,000 check from Shutterfly for the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Research.
Gaur also encouraged viewers to participate in a charity challenge that he and fellow “Jeopardy!” contestants were pushing. The #WeLoveYouAlex campaign, created by fellow contestant and champion Steven Grade, challenged viewers to donate $1 toward pancreatic cancer research for each correct answer they gave during the “Tournament of Champions Finals.” Although the tournament has ended, people are still encouraged to honor the esteemed host by donating to the campaign.
During his diagnosis announcement on the game show’s YouTube channel on March 6, Trebek pledged to remain open and transparent with the show’s loyal fan base.
“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.” He added, “So help me! Keep the faith, and we’ll win! We’ll get it done. Thank you.”
