Teen ‘Jeopardy!’ Winner Donates $10,000 of Winnings to Cancer Research in Honor of Alex Trebek
By Ryan General
A teen champion of “Jeopardy!” recently donated $10,000 to cancer research in honor of the show’s host, Alex Trebek.
Columbia University freshman Avi Gupta won a “Jeopardy!” teen tournament earlier this year and took home $100,000 in prize money.
In a video uploaded on Twitter, the 18-year-old student announced that he donated $10,314 to pancreatic cancer studies at the Knight Cancer Institute in Oregon. The donation, which references the mathematical constant, Pi, is a response to Trebek’s call for support for pancreatic research in time for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
“I was inspired to give by Alex Trebek, the host of ‘Jeopardy!’ and someone I’ve looked up to my whole life,” Gupta said. “Our goal with this campaign is to support research into pancreatic cancer awareness and early detection.”
Gupta used the #InspiredBy campaign hashtag with his video.
“Everyone knows someone or has been affected by cancer in some way,” Gupta was quoted by WBNS-TV as saying. “I believe scientists are winning the fight against cancer, we just need to help them to do more.”
In appreciation of Gupta’s generous gesture, the institute’s director Dr. Brian Druker and his wife decided to match Gupta’s donation.
“What a remarkable young man and what a great gesture,” Druker was quoted as saying. “We hope it inspires lots and lots more people.”
Trebek, the 79-year-old TV game show host, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer back in March. Since undergoing treatment, he has been very vocal about his struggles. After undergoing chemotherapy, Trebek returned to host the iconic “Jeopardy!” to start the show’s 36th season.
However, he was forced to return to chemotherapy treatment the following week after his “numbers went sky high.” Trebek has previously hinted that he may soon be leaving “Jeopardy!” as he continues his battle with cancer.
“I will keep doing it as long as my skills do not diminish, and they have started to diminish,” he was quoted by CTV as saying recently.
While the cause of most cases remains unknown, pancreatic cancer is known as one of the world’s deadliest cancers due to its low survival rate.
According to the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, patients are often diagnosed when they are already at an advanced stage due to lack of knowledge.
Over 1,200 people worldwide will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and an estimated 1,180 die from the disease every day.
Feature Image via KGW News
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