Alex Trebek Lifts Spirits of Autistic 'Jeopardy' Fan with a Phone Call

As busy as he is, Alex Trebek made time for kindness in the smallest of acts ... helping lift the spirits of an autistic man whose mom was determined to get Alex on the horn.

This story's bound to tug at your heartstrings. Pulmonary fibrosis survivor Debbie Stevens attempted to move mountains to have her 32-year-old son, Michael Kneeter, have a chat with the longtime 'Jeopardy' host after he learned Trebek was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Michael, who's autistic, had become depressed and withdrawn ... so his mom hopped online to see if she could track down Trebek. She ended up connecting with his son instead, and made the pitch of her life to see if Alex could squeeze in a call to Michael.

Lo and behold, Trebek called!!! Unfortunately, Debbie and Michael missed his call and got a voicemail instead. Devastated, Debbie reached out to Trebek's son again in a last-ditch effort to talk, and sure enough ... Trebek called again and got them.

According to the NY Daily News ... the trio talked for about 10 minutes, with Alex expressing his deepest thanks to Michael for being a fan. Debbie says Alex told them he wouldn't be stepping away from hosting 'Jeopardy' anytime soon and would keep fighting.