Teenage 'Jeopardy!' Champ Donates $10k To Cancer Research In Honor Of Alex Trebek
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A Teen 'Jeopardy!' Champ
Columbia University freshman Avi Gupta crushed Jeopardy!'s teen tournament over the summer, taking home $100,000 in winnings. While he will certainly be enjoying a large chunk of that money on his own, Gupta is putting his money where his mouth is and donating $10k of that money to the Night Cancer Institute in honor of Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek. Or rather $10,314, sneaking in a subtle reference to pi in there.
Putting His Winnings To Good Use
Gupta, who is 18, posted a video on Twitter explaining his decision and calling others to join the fight to #EndCancer.
"I was inspired to give by Alex Trebek, the host of ‘Jeopardy!’ and someone who I have looked up to my whole life. It was a dream come true earlier this year to finally join him on the ‘Jeopardy!’ stage and the ‘Jeopardy!’ teen tournament.
I am honored to be able to make this donation to the Knight Cancer Institute to support him and the millions of other people suffering from pancreatic cancer across the world. Our goal with this campaign is to support research into pancreatic cancer awareness and early detection."
Trebek's Diagnosis
Trebek shocked fans of Jeopardy! when he announced in March that he was battling pancreatic cancer. He ended up needing a second round of chemotherapy, and admitted that the process has been difficult.
"I was doing so well and my numbers went down to the equivalent of a normal human being who does not have pancreatic cancer, so we were all very optimistic. They said, ‘Good, we’re going to stop chemo, we’ll start you on immunotherapy,’ and I lost about 12 lbs. in a week and my numbers went sky-high, much higher than they were when I was first diagnosed... cancer is mysterious in more ways than one. It has different effects on you."
His PSA For Pancreatic Cancer
Trebek participated a PSA to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer, explaining the symptoms to watch out for and urging the importance of early detection, explaining that pancreatic cancer is "the only major cancer with a five year survival rate in the single digits."
"I wish I had known sooner that the persistent stomach pain I experienced before my diagnosis was a symptom of pancreatic cancer. Other common symptoms can include mid back pain, unexplained weight loss, new onset diabetes and the yellowing of the skin or eyes."
Trebek refuses to let cancer hold him back, giving Gupta yet another reason to look up to him as a hero.
