Olivia Newton-John Sent a Message to Alex Trebek About Fighting Cancer
If anyone can understand what Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek is going through right now, it’s Olivia Newton-John. As she battles cancer for the third time, Newton-John reveals she reached out to Trebek — who will soon begin treatments for pancreatic cancer — with words of encouragement.
Earlier this week, Newton-John shared with Entertainment Tonight what she said in her message to Trebek. “I sent [Trebek] a message saying, ‘I know you can get through this,’ and ‘Don’t listen to stage four and all of [that].”
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She said she also told Trebek, “‘Don’t read the statistics and stay focused and see how you can heal yourself.’ That helps. [A] sense of humor is vital. He has a great attitude and a great sense of humor about it and I’m sure he’ll do very well.”
Trebek revealed last Wednesday in a video announcement from the Jeopardy! set that he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Despite Trebek appearing calm as he shared his news, it came as a shock to many Jeopardy! fans.
“Normally the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working,” Trebek said at the beginning of the video announcement. “And with the love and support from my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rates statistics for this disease.”
A Message from Alex Trebek: pic.twitter.com/LbxcIyeTCF
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 6, 2019
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Trebek quipped, “Truth be told I have to because under the terms of my contract I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years,” he joked. “So, help me keep the faith, and we’ll win. We’ll get it done. Thank you.”
Newton-John has been fighting cancer since her initial breast cancer diagnosis in 1992. Although Newton-John has gone into periods of remission, she is fighting once again following the discovery of a tumor in her lower spine late last year. The tumor causes massive pain and required Newton-John to learn to walk again.
We love the grace and class and humor that both Newton-John and Trebek show during their cancer battles. We’re sending our best to them both.
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