Dick Vitale shares latest step in his journey with vocal cord cancer

Just over a month after announcing he has been diagnosed with vocal cord cancer, 84-year-old broadcasting legend Dick Vitale shared the latest step in his journey with cancer: Friday he'll have completed four weeks of treatment and will have just two weeks and 11 more treatments to go.

This is Vitale's third bout with cancer in as many years. He was diagnosed with melanoma in August 2021 and then with lymphoma two months later. He began treatment immediately, and though he made an emotional courtside return in November 2021, in January 2022 he stepped away for the remainder of the season.

Vitale underwent vocal cord surgery in early 2022, and by April was able to say that his bloodwork showed zero cancer cells. He announced he was fully cancer-free in August 2022, several months after he was given the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance by ESPN, his longtime employer. Vitale's speech was inspiring, moving and hopeful.

However, in July 2023 (only 11 months later), Vitale announced for the third time that he has been diagnosed with cancer, this time of the vocal cords. In his social media post Friday, Vitale asked for prayers over the next few months as he completes radiation and begins "mental stress time," when cancer patients must wait to find out if all the cancer is gone.

Vitale has been an ESPN staple for decades, and has become a legend and icon in sports broadcasting. "You are cancer-free" are the words he wants to hear his doctor say, but they're also the words countless sports fans want to hear his doctor say.