This is how you make Alex Trebek (almost) cry on television

'Jeopardy' host gets choked up by contestant's heartfelt message of support.



You don't really expect to see a lot of emotional moments on Jeopardy! and you sure as heck don't expect to see Alex Trebek getting choked up. But that's what happened on Monday's night's airing of the perennial TV quiz show, when a contestant's heartfelt message of support had the host fighting back tears.

During the "Final Jeopardy" round, contestant Dhruv Gaur revealed his response to evening's final question: "What is we [heart] you Alex!" Not quite the correct response; just some real love for Mr. Trebek, who has been publicly fighting a battle with pancreatic cancer. Just before Gaur's message, Trebek had announced that he was undergoing another round of chemotherapy.

Realizing the message was intended for him, Trebek was visibly moved. "That's very kind of you, thank you," he replied with his voice cracking. Watch the touching moment, and I dare you not to get choked up too:

They could save their brother's life... if the U.S. would let them in the country.

Tu Le needs a bone marrow donor. His brothers in Vietnam are perfect matches, but their visas were denied.



Two Vietnamese brothers who petitioned to travel to the United States to donate bone marrow to their dying brother in San Jose were denied temporary visas by the U.S. government.

Tu Le is suffering form Myelodysplastic syndrome, an aggressive form of blood cancer. He is dying. Le is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant to survive. His brothers are both matches. A perfect 100% genetic match. But they have been denied temporary visas by the U.S. government.

Le's brothers, Lam Le and Hiep Nguyen, applied for B-2 tourist visas at the end of May, citing a medical emergency. According the family, they were denied entry on June 3. These men have what is necessary to save their brother's life, and the United States government is like... nope.

More here: Vietnamese men denied visas for life-saving transplant for brother in San Jose

Why "Asian" Breast Cancer?

Guest Post by Stephen Christopher Liu.



Twenty-five years ago, when Susan Shinagawa was 34, she found a prominent and painful lump in her breast. Yet, the surgical oncologist denied her biopsy request, and informed her: "Susan, you’re too young to have breast cancer. You have no family history of cancer. Besides, Asian women don’t get breast cancer." But she wasn't deterred. Susan sought out a second opinion, and after undergoing a surgical biopsy, she was diagnosed with infiltrating breast cancer. Susan is a three-time breast cancer survivor, and today, she is the leading activist in advocating breast cancer awareness for Asian women.

Hawaii Congressman Mark Takai dies at 49

First-term Congressman passed away on Wednesday after battling pancreatic cancer.



Sad news. U.S. Rep. Mark Takai, a first-term Congressman from Hawaii's first district, died Wednesday morning in Honolulu, nine months after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was 49.

Mark Takai, Congressman from Hawaii, Dies at 49

Born and raised in Oahu, Takai was a lieutenant colonel in the Hawaii Army National Guard and veteran of the Iraq War. At the age of 27, he was elected to the Hawaii State Legislature, where he served for twenty years before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014.

Last fall, Takai confirmed that he had been diagnosed with cancer, and underwent surgery to remove a tumor in his pancreas, followed by chemotherapy. In February, he announced that he would seek re-election, but later announced that he would not run for a second term after learning the cancer had spread.

"Right now, for the sake of my family, I need to focus on getting better rather than getting re-elected," Takai said in a statement at the time. "Although I will not be running for re-election, I intend to serve out the remainder of my term in Congress. There is still much work that I am determined to see through for Hawaii and our nation over the next few months."

A statement from his office said Takai passed away at his home, surrounded by his family.

Florence + the Machine surprises teenage cancer patient with private bedside concert

15-year-old Karinya Chen had tickets to see the band, but had to cancel when her health declined.



Last week, indie rock band Florence + the Machine played a concert at the Austin 360 Amphitheatre, but their most important gig was a private show they played for one of their biggest fans -- a local teen in hospice.

Teen in hospice care gets bedside concert from Florence and the Machine

Several heartwarming viral videos show singer Florence Welch playing a personal bedside concert for a 15-year-old cancer patient Karinya Chen at Hospice Austin's Christopher House. The two are singing "Shake It Out" and "Dog Days Are Over" as duets, with Welch complimenting Karinya's harmonizing

Karinya had tickets to see Florence + the Machine on Thursday night, but had to cancel her plans when her health declined. That's when hospice staffers reached out the band, who were happy to pay a visit.

Rep. Mark Takai will not seek re-election due to cancer

Hawaii Congressman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year.



U.S. Rep. Mark Takai has announced that he will not seek a second term in Congress due to health problems.

Takai, who represents Hawaii's 1st district, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year. He had planned to fight the cancer while running for re-election, but recently learned the disease had spread.

US Rep. Mark Takai will not seek re-election due to cancer

"Right now, for the sake of my family, I need to focus on getting better rather than getting re-elected," Takai said in a statement Thursday. "Although I will not be running for re-election, I intend to serve out the remainder of my term in Congress. There is still much work that I am determined to see through for Hawaii and our nation over the next few months."

Ken Jeong shares about his family's struggles with cancer

Actor found out his wife had breast cancer when he started shooting 'The Hangover.'



Ken Jeong can be a somewhat divisive figure. I've never been particularly fond of his career-making turn as Mr. Chow in The Hangover and its sequels, but I've always considered Ken Jeong an immensely talented performer. I'm looking forward to seeing him star in the title role of his own upcoming sitcom Dr. Ken.

While The Hangover has never been my cup of tea, I have to appreciate the personal story behind Dr. Jeong's performance in that movie. When he was offered the part, his wife was battling stage three breast cancer, and he considered turning it down. But he took the role at the urging of his wife, who thought it could be therapeutic.

In this clip from the PBS documentary series Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, Jeong shares how The Hangover became a way to lash out at the demons in his personal life. It adds an extra dimension to his darkly comic, raged-filled performance as Leslie Chow:

Mom who faked son's cancer sentenced to probation, jail time

Sandy Nguyen convinced her 6-year-old son that he was suffering from leukemia.



Remember the Colorado mother who faked her son's cancer to collect thousands of dollars in donations? On Tuesday, she was sentenced to five years probation and 90 days in jail with work release.

Probation, jail time for mom who faked son's cancer

Sandy Nguyen convinced her 6-year-old son that he was suffering from leukemia, faking his cancer for over a year and scamming his school into raising more than $25,000 in community donations for his treatment. In September, she pleaded guilty to one count of charitable fraud and one count of child abuse.

Perhaps worst of all, the kid wasn't just playing along -- his mom had convinced him that he had leukemia, and he truly believed he was dying. Nguyen shaved his head every day, and the boy apparently thought he was getting chemotherapy while he slept at night.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Sponsored Post by Cathy Phan



October is Breast Cancer Prevention Month and, at the HOPE Clinic in Houston, this month is especially meaningful, because our recent $1.5 million grant from the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) allows us to provide cancer screenings and preventative care to thousands of low-income and medically underserved individuals in the Greater Houston area.

Mai Duong needs your help.

Leukemia patient urgently needs a bone marrow or umbilical cord stem cell transplant



Mai Duong is a 34-year-old woman from Montreal who is fighting for her life. Last year, she was diagnosed with acute leukemia, and beat it. But 10 months after being given a clean bill of health, she relapsed. Leukemia. "For the second time, because life's a bitch." But she is not going down without a fight.

Leukemia patient calls on visible minorities to donate stem cells

Mai, the mother of a 4-year-old, is currently in the hospital receiving chemotherapy treatment, but her chances of survival will be greatly increased by a stem cell donation, either through cord blood or a bone marrow transplant -- most likely, from a compatible donor of Vietnamese descent, like herself.

Unfortunately, only 19 percent of bone marrow donors in Quebec are non-white. And just one percent of the bone marrow registry is composed of Vietnamese people. Mai's brother, who had a 30 percent chance of matching, was not a match. So she's turning to you, good people of the internet, to get the word out.

How about not mocking the cancer survivor marathon runner?

SELF Magazine apologizes for photo feature making fun of "lame" tutu



This magazine chose the wrong runner to mock. Health and fitness publication SELF Magazine is getting flack for running a photo making fun of a tutu-wearing marathon runner... who happens to be a cancer survivor.

Self Magazine Shames Cancer Survivor For Running Marathon In A 'Lame' Tutu

When Monika Allen, a brain cancer survivor, got an email from SELF asking for permission to feature a photo of her running a marathon, she thought that was pretty cool. The photo, snapped at last year's Los Angeles Marathon, features Allen wearing a Wonder Woman costume accentuated by a frilly tutu. She looks awesome.

But the magazine's editors thought she looked "lame." It indeed ran in the April issue, except that it was prominently featured on SELF's "+BS Meter," which made fun of the alleged "racing tutu epidemic." Monika did not know that she was giving permission to be mocked.

Colorado mom accused of faking son's cancer for donations

Sandy Thi Nguyen received $25,000 in community donations



Asians behaving badly... fake kid cancer scam edition! In Colorado, a woman has been arrested for perpetrating a hoax that her 6-year-old son had cancer and accepting thousands in community donations.

Arapahoe County mother accused of faking 6-year-old son's cancer, accepting thousands in donations

According to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, Sandy Thi Nguyen accepted $25,000 in donations after convincing her child, other family members, and the community at large that her young son was suffering from leukemia. She was arrested on charges of theft and criminal impersonation to gain benefit.

The community began raising money for the boy last fall -- charity walks and everything -- because hell, who's not going to give money to the kid with cancer? They raised thousands of dollars in donations for the Nguyen family... who apparently used the funds for a trip to Disneyland, among other things.

The sheriff's office launched an investigation last month when the Department of Human Services received information that the boy may not actually have cancer.

Baby leukemia patient Isaac needs your help

At six months old, Isaac was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia



Heads up. Passing along this information about a child in need... This adorable baby needs your help. Last summer, 6-month-old Isaac was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, a form of blood cell cancer. The treatment requires several rounds of chemotherapy and ultimately, a bone marrow transplant. His parents, Sarah and Joel, have essentially lived at the hospital with Isaac since July.

The family lives in Dallas now, but they are looking to move next to a clinic in another part of the country to give Isaac the best treatment he can get. Their community -- "Team Isaac" -- has put together a fundraiser to help cover the medical expenses and associated costs. Here's some more information about Isaac's story:

"Asian women don't get breast cancer."

False. They do. In fact, it's one of the leading causes of death for Asian women in the U.S.



Contrary to a pervasive, popular perception among medical professionals, Asian women get breast cancer. In fact, it's one of the leading causes of death among Asian women in the United States (and Asia), who actually face unique cultural, linguistic and genetic issues pertaining to breast cancer.

The National Asian Breast Cancer Initiative is a recently established not-for-profit pilot project currently spearheaded by Privy Groupe, fiscally managed by the Asian Pacific Community Fund and endorsed by the Asian and Pacific Islander National Cancer Survivors Network. NABCI is a national initiative to address the unique cultural, linguistic and genetic challenges that Asian women face related to breast cancer.

During the month of October, NABCI has entitled this campaign "Asian women don't get breast cancer" in honor of breast cancer activist Susan Shinagawa -- and for the express purpose is dispelling this fallacy:

Donny's mom needs a bone marrow match

I've previously written Nina Louie and her battle against cancer, but I read this front page article in today's Los Angeles Times and it broke my heart all over again: Fighting cancer to see son grow up.

Nina, mother to 2-year-old Donny, is fighting Stage IV B-cell lymphoma, an aggressive form of blood cancer. Doctors say her only hope of survival is in a 1-in-20,000 chance of finding a bone marrow match within a month. While she's been dealing with her illness, she's also been trying to shield Donny from finding out she's sick. But most importantly, she's counting the littlest milestones and just wants to live to see him grow up.

Asians are a good at a lot of things, but one thing we really suck at is registering to be bone marrow donors. Have you registered? You could save a life. To find out more about becoming a bone marrow donor, visit Be The Match or Nina Louie's website at SaveNina.com.

Nina needs a bone marrow match

I recently heard from some friends about Nina Louie, a wife and mother who is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant after being diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. She has two months to find a donor.

As I've said her many times before, there's a severe shortage of minority donors in the National Registry, and her chances of finding a match will be much more likely from someone of Asian descent. Could you be the match that saves Nina's life? Here's some more information about her situation:

donate to project lucy

I recently learned about Lucy Lee, a 25-year-old graduate of Fresno State University who was recently diagnosed with NK/T-Cell Lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of lymphoma.

Not only has the rigorous chemotherapy put her life on hold -- she was supposed to start a nursing program next spring -- she doesn't have medical insurance to help pay for treatment and hospital bills.

In an effort to cover the costs of her condition, her boyfriend Alex has set up an page for online donations: Project Lucy. Here's some more information: