Dick Vitale.Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty
Famed college basketball announcerDick Vitale, who was diagnosed with multiple cancers in the last few years, is now free of the disease, he shared Wednesday.
In atweet, 83-year-old Vitale said his doctor declared him officially cancer free.
“Dr Rick Brown just notified me with my results of my major Pet Scan & told me news I wish EVERY cancer patient can hear,” he wrote in the message. “He said ‘Dick u have gone from being in remission to being CANCER FREE’ ! Thank u to ALL of YOU that have sent me (prayers).”
Vitale, who spent over 40 years of his career on ESPN commentating basketball games for the network, first announced his battle with cancer in Oct. 2021 in an essay forFront Row. In the piece, Vitale said he had been diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, just weeks after he revealed a melanoma diagnosis, which he was later cleared of.
Before his lymphoma diagnosis, doctors believed he might have had bile duct cancer, which would have required intensive surgery. However, they later determined that he had precancerous dysplasia in his throat, a growth on his vocal cords that could become cancerous if left untreated.
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Vitalewas instructed to go three months without talkingto save his vocal cords and prevent the growths from getting larger. He also had to undergo months of chemotherapy to fight the disease. The legendary commentator said it was incredibly hard to rest his voice.
“You’re just depressed,” Vitaletold Graham Bensinger onIn Depth with Graham Bensinger. “You’re down, you’re upset, you’re frustrated.”
In April, Vitala said a recent check-up showed no signs of cancer, a sign he had officially gone into remission.
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In July, ESPN honored Vitale with theJimmy V Award for Perseveranceat the 2022 ESPYs. He spent much of his speech praising theJimmy V Foundation, which funds research into finding a cure for cancer.
“No kid or child should be going through chemo or radiation,” Vitale said.
“[Cancer] doesn’t discriminate, it comes after all,” he later added. “It doesn’t matter race or religion, it will bring you to your knees. There’s only one way to beat it, my friends, we have to raise dollars and give oncologists a fighting chance.”
Vitale ended his speech with a message to “keep chasing your dreams, keep chasing your goals.”
source: people.com
