This Tuesday, December 13, "Jeopardy!" fans will watch Cindy Stowell compete on the show she loved. Sadly, Stowell won't get to see her own episode because she died from breast cancer just one week too soon, on Monday, December 5. She was 41.

Her boyfriend Jason Hess shared the tragic news:

He also revealed that when her episode was taped back on August 31, "She was fighting a high-grade fever (which turned out to be a blood infection) and was on painkillers." Only a small group of "Jeopardy!" staffers and host Alex Trebek knew she was ill; her opponents were not aware.

The "Jeopardy!" official site has an In Memoriam page set up for Stowell, including this statement from Trebek:

"When Cindy Stowell taped her appearance on Jeopardy!, she had Stage 4 cancer. Competing on Jeopardy! was a lifelong dream for Cindy, and we're glad she was able to do so. Sadly, Cindy died on December 5. Our condolences and best wishes to her family and friends."

Greg Stowell, Carole Stowell, and Jason Hess shared their own statement on the site:

"Cindy came on Jeopardy! to play the game she loved and in doing so, she was able to make a contribution to cancer research in the hopes that no one else would have to go through what she did."

Stowell, a science developer from Austin, Texas, had asked a "Jeopardy!" producer about the show timeline in this heartbreaking request shared on the show site:

"Do you have any idea how long it typically takes between an in person interview, and the taping date? I ask because I just found out that I don't have too much longer to live. The doctor's best guess is about 6 months. If there is the chance that I'd be able to still tape episodes of Jeopardy! if I were selected, I'd like to do that and donate any winnings to ... charities involved in cancer research. If it is unlikely that the turnaround time would be that quick, then I'd like to give up my try out spot to someone else."

They were able to get her episode taped in August, but if only it could've aired sooner. But we never know how much time we're going to have here. Now fans can honor her by watching the show and sharing their own donations to cancer research.

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