Nicky Trebek said the PurpleStride event would not only be her way to continue her father’s legacy but to bring awareness for other families and people who may be struggling with the disease.
Alex Trebek may no longer be on our television screens as host of the long-running game show Jeopardy!, but his legacy continues.
His daughter Nicky Trebek will see to that by raising awareness and funding in the battle pancreatic cancer, the disease that took her beloved father's life in November 2020.
Nicky told “CBS This Morning,” on Tuesday that she is launching a team for the virtual PurpleStride walk, which benefits the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
She said the PurpleStride event would not only be her way to continue her father’s legacy, but to bring awareness for other families and people who may be struggling with the disease.
"I just want to carry on his legacy, honor his fight, you know," said Trebek, wearing a Team Alex hat during the interview while speaking on television for the first time since her father’s death.
Nicky shares the memory she had when she accompanied her father to the PurpleStride event in Los Angeles back in 2019, when he was first diagnosed with the illness. She said that she was inspired seeing all the survivors and described it as “mind-blowing.”
"That day was incredible, to drive up and see all of the other survivors and see him on stage with the other survivors, telling him their story and listening to others," she said.
Trebek, who was host of the syndicated game show Jeopardy! for 37 seasons from the show’s resurgence in 1984 until his death in 2020, was philanthropic throughout his career. Before he died, he and his wife donated half-a-million dollars to transform an old Los Angeles skating rink into a homeless shelter, named Trebek Center, CBS News reported
This past week, Nicky, along with her brother, were in attendance when the Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission unveiled the plans to move forward with the newly named Trebek Center.
She told CBS that at the time of the original donation announcement she thought her father would be in attendance too.
The 2021 virtual PurpleStride walk is on May 1. More information on Team Nicky Trebek and how to help with the fight against pancreatic cancer can be found on the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s Site.
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