If you’re Jean Trebek, 56, wife of Jeopardy host, Alex Trebek, 79, you’ve been living in a whirlwind lately. So what do you do? You make soup.
Trebek and her husband recently welcomed millions of viewers into their Los Angeles home for an ABC primetime special, complete with “trucks in the driveway, lights in the living room.” And now, amid the fever-pitch fandom of this week’s “Jeopardy! Greatest of all Time” tournament, the intensely-private Jean Trebek has stopped to share a gift of comfort for the many well-wishers who have supported her husband through his months-long battle with Stage 4 pancreatic Cancer.
“One Of My Husband’s Favorites”
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Jean Trebek’s French Candian Pea Soup Although she rarely comments on her husband’s illness, Jean opened up on Insidewink.com recently about the “tremendous outpouring of affection for my husband by his fans.” That affection has shown up in the form of gifts, said Jean, “baked goods, blankets, vitamins, holy water, letters, chocolates, prayer flags from Tibet, an oar from a rowing team, signed sports jerseys a lot of thoughtful gifts."
The insidewink.com website has been a positive outlet for Jean who says, “We strive to encourage kinder living, to reveal silver linings, to see the world's perpetual generosity. Share a secret, a belly laugh, an experience…. share the good.”
Alex Trebek's Cancer Journey
In March of 2019, Alex was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. In the months since, there's been an outpouring of prayers, support and deep concern from Trebek's many thousands of fans. Many were disheartened when Trebek announced on Sept. 17 that he would undergo further treatment.
“My Numbers Went South”
“This summer, because I was making such good progress, we thought I was finished with chemo," Trebek said at the time. "That was a bit premature and certainly overoptimistic. I began immunotherapy, but that didn't go well. My numbers went south dramatically and quickly. The doctors are now re-examining my situation and, it appears, I will be having more chemo treatments ahead of me," he continued. "Hey, they worked very well the first time, so we're expecting good results again."
Now, Trebek is open to new therapies. "We may try a new protocol…a different chemo or something in the trial stage that is not chemotherapy," he tells Strahan. "I don't mind experimenting. I've got nothing to lose, so let's go for it."
Trebek's advanced stage of pancreatic cancer has only a 3% five-year survival rate, which means that only 3 % of people diagnosed end up living five years. But with most stage 4 pancreatic cancer patients living only 3-6 months after finding their cancer, Trebek has been beating the odds.
Trebek's positive attitude throughout the journey has barely wavered, though; he has continued to host "Jeopardy!" and has used his platform to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer including the need for better screening methods for lifesaving early detection.
Has humor ever saved the day for you? We’d love to hear about it! #insidewink #jimmybuffett #humor #creativity #savethedaywithhumor #creativityfollowshumor
A post shared by Insidewink (@insidewinker) on Jan 7, 2020 at 1:01pm PST
Insidewink is edited by Trebek and her business partner Alison Martin. “We strive to encourage kinder living, to reveal silver linings, to see the world's perpetual generosity. Share a secret, a belly laugh, an experience…. share the good.” The two manage a team of contributors to produce upbeat and inspiring articles like today’s Happy Headlines posted on January 7th–the same night that her husband Alex will host tonight’s much-anticipated tournament, “Jeopardy! The Greatest of all Time.”
Jean is a Professional Religious Science Practitioner, Reiki Master and Sound Healer. She grew up on Long Island, NY, and now lives in Los Angeles with her wonderful husband of 29 years, Alex, and has 2 amazing adult children, Matthew and Emily. Jean enjoys taking long walks, watching movies, and traveling. She is very grateful for her family, Willy the dog, friends and good coffee.
RELATED: Alex Trebek's Wife, Jean, Is a Devoted Practitioner Of A Faith Called Religious Science How Can Faith Help During Cancer?
That impact has shown up in the form of gifts, said Jean: "Baked goods, blankets, vitamins, holy water, letters, chocolates, prayer flags from Tibet, an oar from a rowing team, signed sports jerseys a lot of thoughtful gifts," she wrote Thursday in a post on her website, Insidewink.com. Although she rarely comments publicly on her husband or his cancer, she added, "I'm touched by the tremendous outpouring of affection for my husband by his fans."
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