Alex Trebek Says He'll Stop Cancer Treatment If His Condition Begins To Worsen
Nothing lasts forever. Alex Trebek's cancer treatment has been a big part of the Jeopardy! host's life over the past year. In a recent interview, the Canadian revealed that he doesn't plan to continue if his condition begins to worsen.
On Friday, July 17, the New York Times released a story about Trebek, in which he opens up about his ongoing struggles with advanced pancreatic cancer.
"Yesterday morning my wife came to me and said, 'How are you feeling?' And I said, 'I feel like I want to die.' It was that bad," the television personality revealed.
"There comes a time where you have to make a decision as to whether you want to continue with such a low quality of life, or whether you want to just ease yourself into the next level. It doesn’t bother me in the least."
For the 79-year-old, easing himself "into the next level" seems like the optimal choice.
"Trebek’s prognosis has worsened. If his current course of cancer treatment fails, he plans to stop treatment,” the New York Times article says.
In the meantime, the Sudbury-born star is showing no signs of slowing down.
"['Jeopardy!' is] a quality program, and I think I do a good job hosting it, and when I start slipping, I’ll stop hosting," he said.
The Canadian also recently revealed that he's been recording intros for upcoming episodes of the show from home during quarantine.
"For the first time ever, we’re going to open the 'Jeopardy!' vaults and take another look at some of our favourite episodes," the host explained.
Ahead of his 80th birthday later in July, Trebek also revealed that he has a new book on the way, where he opens up about his life, his time on Jeopardy!, and his cancer battle.
The Answer Is...: Reflections on My Life is set to release on July 21.
It's unclear exactly when Jeopardy! will be given the go-ahead to resume production, but a representative for the show has said that the host is pushing for it to be one of the first back on air.