Vitale announces he has vocal cord cancer; 84-year-old faces 6 weeks of radiation therapy
SARASOTA - It's an opponent with which Dick Vitale has become all too familiar.
After successfully battling lymphoma and melanoma in recent years, the 84-year-old Lakewood Ranch resident and ESPN college basketball analyst has been diagnosed with vocal cord cancer following a procedure earlier in the week to remove vocal cord tissue at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital.
Previously, Vitale had been treated for dysplasia (non-cancerous), forcing him to rest his voice for six weeks. He received the cancer annoucement at a consultation with his surgeon, Dr. Steven Zeitels, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation. Vitale then released the news on social media.
Voice needs fixing: Dick Vitale to undergo two more throat surgeries for dysplasia
A record haul: 18th Dick Vitale Gala raises record $12.4 million for V Foundation for Cancer Research
"Dr. Z tells me that it has an extremely high cure rate, and that (six weeks) radiation, not more surgery, is the best path," Vitale announced. "I plan to fight like hell to be ready to call games when the college hoops season tips off in the fall. 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."
In May, the 18th Annual Dick Vitale Gala rasied a record $12.4 million, bringing the total raised at the 18 galas to $68.1 million. All of it goes to fighting pediatric cancer through the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
"
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Vitale announces he has vocal cord cancer; faces 6 weeks of radiation
