'March Madness starts with a W baby!' Dick Vitale says he's cancer-free after six-month battle
Right as March Madness is about to tip off, ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale says he's starting with "a W baby!"
Vitale was informed by his medical team on Tuesday that PET scan results revealed he's cancer-free after a grueling six-month battle with the disease. Vitale underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and most recently had surgery on his vocal cords and is temporarily unable to use his voice.
"It was such a fantastic feeling when I received the text," Vitale told USA TODAY Sports. "At first I was a nervous wreck when the text arrived from the head of my cancer team, Dr. Rick Brown on the results from the PET scan I had. He stated that the scan showed that everything was clear but we are going to do two more chemo treatments to make certain that the cancer is gone.
"This was the start of my March Madness. Now I get to cut nets down and get my voice back as I have a big examination in Boston later in March. Getting back my ability to speak would be my national championship!"
Vitale tweeted the news to share with his followers: "OMG ALL THE PRAYERS many of u have sent have been answered, as DR Brown who heads my cancer TEAM called & said PET SCAN came back that NO CANCER is showing. I feel like a coach playing for the Final 4 has a PTPer hit a shot at buzzer. My MARCH MADNESS starts with a W baby!"
OMG ALL THE PRAYERS many of u have sent have been answered as DR Brown who heads my cancer TEAM called & said PET SCAN came back that NO CANCER is showing. I feel like a coach playing for the Final 4 has a PTPer hit a shot at buzzer. My MARCH MADNESS starts with a W baby ! pic.twitter.com/HS2yI3wgpB
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) March 8, 2022
In a separate interview earlier with USA TODAY Sports, Vitale said he's been "crying my eyes out" with his inability to communicate vocally as he's been known for with his famous catchphrases, using a white board to talk to people in public and texting and tweeting constantly.
Unable to attend the Duke vs. North Carolina game this past weekend – coach Mike Krzyzewski's last home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium – Vitale said not being there was "eating his heart out." But the 82-year-old broadcaster penned an emotional letter as tribute to Coach K and Krzyzewski texted Vitale the day of the game saying he was with him in spirit.
"It has been awesome getting text messages, videos and daily prayers from the basketball community," Vitale told USA TODAY Sports. "They all let me know that they are praying for me and that's helping me victorious in the fight I am waging."
Vitale tweeted about his anxiety heading into Tuesday's scan, noting that he's "sharing my journey so u can see what most cancer patients deal with .WE MUST BEAT CANCER."
Follow college basketball reporter Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dick Vitale says he's cancer-free after six-month battle: 'W baby!'
