Dick Vitale, the venerable ESPN college basketball analyst, revealed a new cancer diagnosis on Wednesday.
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Dick Vitale reveals he has vocal cord cancer and will undergo radiation
By
Ryan Glasspiegel
Dick Vitale, the venerable ESPN college basketball analyst, revealed a new cancer diagnosis on Wednesday.
Vitale, who previously
battled melanoma and Lymphoma, said he had vocal cord tissue removed and analyzed at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston earlier this week.
As a result of that analysis, Vitale announced, he will be undergoing radiation to treat vocal cord cancer.
“I’m sorry to share that I received tough news today from Dr. Zeitels about my throat,” Vitale wrote on Twitter. “The tests on the tissues they removed showed that I have vocal cord cancer and will need six weeks of radiation to treat it. Dr. Z tells me that it has an extremely high cure rate, and that radiation, not surgery is the best path.”
Last April, Vitale
celebrated after learning that he was cancer-free following a seven-month bout with Lymphoma.
In his announcement Wednesday, Vitale said he aims to recover and return on air in time for college basketball season.
“I plan to fight like hell to be ready to call games when the college hoops season tips off in the Fall,” he continued. “Dr. Z feels that scenario is entirely possible. I want to say that I have been so touched by the tweets, texts, notes, and prayers, and will ask all of you to continue to send positive vibes.
“This time last year, I was on the ESPYS stage, asking everyone to help in the cancer fight. This terrible disease strikes so many of our loved ones, and it’s now knocked on my door three different times. More research will continue to help in this fight.”
Dick Vitale revealed a throat cancer diagnosis on Wednesday.
Twitter / Dick Vitale
Vitale finished his announcement with an upbeat message.
“I’m grateful to my immediate family as well as my ESPN family for their incredible support, and so appreciative of the outstanding team of medical experts whose dedication has such a positive impact on so many lives,” Vitale wrote.
“Love to all!” he concluded.
Vitale joined ESPN for the 1979-80 season as an analyst and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
