Legendary sports announcer Dick Vitale shares graphic cancer update: ‘Most discomfort’
In June, legendary college basketball announcer Dick Vitale announced that he was diagnosed with cancer for the fourth time and would undergo surgery to remove the cancer from his neck.
In July, Vitale revealed that 26 lymph nodes were removed during the surgery with one coming back as “potentially cancerous.” As a result, his medical team advised Vitale to undergo several rounds of radiation “to wipe out any chance of cancer spreading.”
In his statement at the time, he admitted the news was “not what I wanted to hear but I will never ever give up.”
“I WILL WIN THIS BATTLE as I am so inspired by all the (prayers) and words of encouragement I receive from so many,” he continued. “Thanks for caring!”
Over the past two months, Vitale has kept his fans apprised of how his rounds of radiation are going.
On Sept. 8, he took to Instagram to reveal the painful side effects of his radiation treatments.
“People that care often ask how am I doing with my radiation treatments side effects,” Vitale began.
“I have the usual fatigue — dry mouth — aches but what had given me the most discomfort is the BURNING ON MY NECK where the radiation is given daily,” Vitale admits alongside a photo of the burn.
“Have two more weeks that I have been told will get tougher according to radiation oncologist Dr. Saigal,” Vitale continued. “I just must keep my mindset to THINK POSITIVE (and pray) that the radiation wipes cancerous lymph node out.”
“Yes, that would be awesome baby,” he said, referencing his legendary catchphrase.
On Sept. 9, the announcer took to Instagram again to reveal he had successfully completed his 20th round of radiation and that the burning on his neck had been treated as well.
Vitale was first diagnosed with melanoma in 2021, then was diagnosed with lymphoma later that year. He announced he was cancer free in August 2022, but then said he had vocal cord cancer in July 2023.
After announcing he again was cancer free in December 2023, cancer was found in his neck area in June.