Writing Samples 

I. Short Article

Who Is Courageously Battling Pancreatic Cancer?

Game-show host Alex Trebek’s announcement on March 6 that he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer prompted legions of Jeopardy! fans to turn to Google to ask, “What is pancreatic cancer?”

It’s not as common as lung, breast or colorectal cancers, but pancreatic cancer is diagnosed in an estimated 56,000 adults in the United States each year. It’s often called a “silent” disease, meaning that symptoms don’t present themselves until the later stages. As a result, it’s largely considered to be incurable. The one-year survival rate is 20%, and the five-year survival rate is 7%.

Symptoms of the disease include abdominal pain, weight loss, diarrhea and jaundice. The pancreas is a gland, about 6 inches long, that’s located behind the stomach and in front of the spine. Trebek has the most common type of pancreatic cancer, adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. It starts when exocrine cells in the pancreas begin to grow out of control.

Trebek’s diagnosis of stage IV, known as metastatic or distant cancer, indicates the tumors have spread to other organs outside the pancreas. Usually this means they’ve spread to the liver or lung, but it could also mean the bones, brain or other organs have been affected. Alex’s treatment to date has included both chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Meanwhile, he has continued to host Jeopardy! without missing a beat, his courage and professionalism on display every day. As his public battle with cancer continues, he can be certain that millions of game-show fans are keeping him in their thoughts and hoping for the best.

II. TV Guide Close-Up Listings

III. Instructional Document