Dick Vitale.Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty
ESPN collegebasketballbroadcasterDick Vitale, 84, is making a remarkable comeback.
“This is the first time I’ve been able to speak,” Vitale said in the video posted on Monday. “I’m gonna do it in moderation for the next couple weeks.”
He also revealed his determination to return to the broadcast booth on November 28, when he will be behind the microphone as Miami takes on Kentucky at the Rupp Arena in Lexington.
After sharing his health update, Vitale handed over the video to Dr. Steven Zeitels, the Director of the Center for Laryngeal Health at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Zeitels reported that Vitale’s radiotherapy has progressed “remarkably well,” with all of his tissues now “fully healed.”
“At this point, he can start using his voice,” Dr. Zeitels mentioned in the video. “He’ll see how long it takes to recover. We had planned to look under the microscope in the operating room [Tuesday], but it looks so terrific that we are going to wait on that because I see no evidence of the cancer whatsoever.”
Dr. Zeitels mentioned the possibility of an endoscopic procedure to “enhance” Vitale’s voice in the future, while assuring that the overall prognosis remains optimistic.
“Given the remarkable recovery he’s had in the last few weeks, the best pathway now is patience, and let’s see how Dick can heal himself and get back to what he loves to do," the doctor said.
In July, Vitale, who has been at ESPN since the network launched in 1979, revealed that he had beendiagnosed with vocal cord cancer. The diagnosis came after the 84-year-old had previously revealed his lymphoma diagnosis and received treatment for melanoma in 2021. Before his lymphoma diagnosis, doctors thought Vitale may have bile duct cancer, which would have required a far more intensive surgery.
Vitale was instructed at the time to gothree months without talkingto save his vocal cords and prevent the growths from getting bigger.
source: people.com
