‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Honors Alex Trebek With Donation To Pancreatic Cancer Walk, Organizer Says

“Jeopardy!” champion James Holzhauer donated over $1,000 to a Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk in honor of host Alex Trebek.

Trebek announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in early March. Despite the prognosis, Trebek resolved “to fight this” and “beat the low survival rate statistics.”

Trebek revealed to People magazine that his chemotherapy had been effective, shrinking some of his tumors “by more than 50%.” Trebek, who turns 79 in July, said that he was “near remission” in late May.

The walk will take place in Holzhauer’s hometown of Naperville, Illinois, on July 14. Organizer Ann Zediker knew of Holzhauer’s connections to both the cause and the location, and had reached out asking him to participate.

He responded that although he would not be in the area for the event, he would be happy to make a donation, Zediker told the Chicago Tribune.

Holzhauer’s donation of $1,109.04 included the message “For Alex Trebek and all other survivors.” The sum represents the birthday of his daughter, Natasha.

As a contestant on Jeopardy, Holzhauer famously calculated his wagers to depict important dates in his life.

Holzhauer is one of the most formidable “Jeopardy!” contestants to ever compete. During his 32 game streak, he won $2,462,216 and broke several of the gameshow’s records, including most money won in a single game with $131,127, according to the show’s James Holzhauer tracker.

His final episode, whose outcome was spoiled the evening before it aired, counted 14.5 million viewers, rendering it the most watched “Jeopardy!” episode in 14 years.

His success on the show has earned him the nickname “Jeopardy James” and he has since amassed a large Twitter following of almost 150,000 people.

Trebek and Holzhauer, who is a professional sports gambler, reunited at the annual NHL awards, Wednesday evening.