'Jeopardy!' Champ James Holzhauer Honors Alex Trebek With Cancer Walk Donation

James Holzhauer donated to a pancreatic cancer research walk in honor of Alex Trebek.
Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images

Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer's time on the trivia show is over, but he's still thinking of host Alex Trebek.

According to CNN, Ann Zediker, a fundraiser in the Naperville Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk, reached out to Holzhauer after watching his final appearance on the show. During the episode, Trebek thanked Holzhauer for the get-well card his daughter Natasha made him.

Zediker invited Holzhauer, a native of Naperville, Ill., to the event. Holzhauer responded that he could not attend the walk but sent a $1,109.14 donation with the message, "For Alex Trebek and all the other survivors."

The donation amount represents the date of Natasha's birthday. Holzhauer, who won 32 straight games on Jeopardy! and a total of $2,462,216 in earnings, often placed wagers on Daily Doubles using numbers that represented an important date to him.

"There was no expectation on my end," Zediker said. "I was just thrilled that he responded. I knew that Alex's story had an impact on him, just like it has an impact on anyone who's working with a family member who's going through pancreatic cancer."

Trebek announced in March that he was battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He's since revealed that he's responding well to chemotherapy and is nearing remission.


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