It’s been a tough few years for famed ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale who revealed in October 2021 that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma. While undergoing cancer treatment, including chemotherapy, Vitale received medical clearance to call some games and had a blast doing so, but announced at the end of December 2021 that he would take time off the air after being diagnosed with dysplasia on his vocal cords.
After battling both lymphoma and vocal cord dysplasia in early 2022, with the latter condition leading to him announcing he’d have to take first a few weeks, then the rest of this season off. The move to take off the rest of the season was prompted by his doctor telling him he needed vocal cord surgery, and Vitale underwent that surgery in February 2022.
As of last summer, Vitale announced that he was cancer-free.
Vitale has been consistently updating his fans and the college basketball world on how things are going for him through his Twitter account, and he sent out some unfortunate news regarding his current health Thursday morning.
According to Vitale, his acclaimed vocal surgeon informed him that his past issues with his vocal cords have returned. Vitale will need to undergo two surgeries this summer, with the first being on July 11. Vitale said that the biggest challenge is that he is currently on voice rest in preparation for the surgery he will undergo in less than three weeks. And then he’ll need to be on total voice rest for 6-8 weeks post-surgery.
“That part is so frustrating,” he wrote. “I feel trapped not being able to express myself.”
The biggest challenge is that I am currently on voice rest in preparation for surgery on July 11 & post surgery I must be on total voice rest for 6-8 weeks in recovery. That part is so frustrating as I feel trapped not being able to express myself . The positive news Dr Z is…
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) June 22, 2023
The positive news here is that Vitale’s doctor is optimistic that they can have him ready to go for his 45th season on ESPN.
Vitale’s post led to a lot of people sending him further expressions of support. And it’s good to hear that there is optimism surrounding his surgery. Hopefully, his recovery will be smooth and he’ll be able to return to ESPN’s airwaves in time for the next college basketball season.
