The recent revelations about Jeopardy's Alex Trebek are significant on so many levels.
First of all, though in no particular order of importance, it reminds us that cancer can strike anyone at anytime, and is harshly indiscriminate. The young or the old, the weak or the strong, the rich or the poor, the famous or the anonymous - when the Daily Double box pops up on your game board of life, you have no choice but to venture a guess as to your outcome (and state your answer in the form of a question - Why?!?).
Alex Trebek has Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which is a particularly challenging diagnosis to treat. We will watch and learn as we go through the process with him (as much as he is comfortable sharing). And through his unique courage we will increase awareness, become more in tune with the need for enhanced research, and witness yet another icon of fame wage their battle.
By sharing his circumstance, we gain greater perspective on the humanity of celebrities like Alex Trebek. We may imagine that their fame and fortune gives them an elevated status for all life matters, but he is just as vulnerable as any of us. I don't suspect we will be privy to his daily treatment trials and tribulations, but we will be reminded that we all need to be vigilant, hopeful and supportive of those victims around us - whomever they may be.
The meaning of the word jeopardy is: danger of loss, harm, or failure. How poignant is this definition relative to the rigors and realities of cancer?
So one more pillar of popular culture joins the list of Celebrities with Cancer. Yet another familiar face to the scourge, which helps us add a deeper degree of humanity to the in-humane nature of the illness. It's as if a favorite Uncle is fighting for his life and we are sending him our thoughts and prayers. He won't necessarily know of our intentions or feel our energies, but it will make us better people regardless of the results. And it will bring him comfort - I know this from first-hand experience of the power of support.
