Alex Trebek, the beloved longtime host of the game show “Jeopardy!,” just made an announcement about his battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer that has many of his fans feeling devastated.

The 79 year-old host told The New York Times that he has made the decision to stop cancer treatments if his current round of chemotherapy fails.

“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,” Trebek said. “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.”

“Jeopardy!” has been on hiatus since March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Just a few weeks ago, after barely having slept, Trebek was able to gather enough courage to come in and film introductions to old “Jeopardy!” episodes that would be aired until the show can film new ones. The seasoned television veteran explained that he felt better when the cameras started rolling.

“Oddly enough, when we started taping I suddenly started to regain my strength. It’s the strangest thing. It is some kind of an elixer,” he said.

The crew of the show can testify to that, with “Jeopardy!” announcer Johnny Gilbert saying that the passion that Trebek has is palpable.

“Once I introduce him on that stage, he is Alex Trebek,” said Gilbert. “You can tell that that’s what he’s living for.”

Trebek, who will turn 80 years-old on Wednesday, also has no plans to retire from “Jeopardy!” anytime soon.

“It’s a quality program, and I think I do a good job hosting it,” Trebek said. “And when I start slipping, I’ll stop hosting.”

This comes days after Trebek gave a video update about his health to fans.

“I’m doing well,” he said. “I’ve been continuing my treatment and it is paying off. Though it does fatigue me a great deal, my numbers are good. I’m feeling great.”

Here's a summer update from Alex! ☀️ pic.twitter.com/6oKJ5aSCU7

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) July 16, 2020

“Once again, I can’t wait to return to the studio and start recording shows for the new season in September,” Trebek concluded in the video. “Meanwhile, my wish for all of you — stay safe.”

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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