Marc Bertrand, who co-hosts the midday show for Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub alongside Scott Zolak, announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer near the end of his show on Wednesday.
Bertrand began by assuring the audience that he was going to be fine, and saying that he didn’t initially plan on sharing the news, but felt compelled to bring the audience into what was happening.
“I don’t need it to be a big deal. I don’t want it to be a big deal. But here it goes,” he said. “I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer a couple of months ago. It’s the most common type of thyroid cancer and it is highly treatable so before anybody starts to worry about me — especially Zo, he loves to worry about me a lot — you can rest assured it’s gonna be fine.
“It is treatable, I am an excellent hands, and I am expecting this to soon be behind me in a short amount of time.”
Bertrand said he wanted to share the news because he realized that once people he was close to knew of his diagnosis, he noticed them checking in on him, asking “How are you feeling?”
He was showing no symptoms and feeling fine, but the regularity with which he was asked about his condition made him realize that others might think that just because they feel fine, they aren’t at risk. Bertrand also talked to a doctor said they had a hard time getting patients to get the screenings that are recommended, often because they feared what the tests could reveal.
“Some people don’t have the ability or the insurance coverage to do it, and I totally understand that,” Bertrand said. “But if fear is your reason, it’s not a good reason. It’s not a good reason to do it.”
Bertrand also received an email from a listener who had recently been diagnosed with colon cancer a second time, and had urged him to tell the rest of his audience to get colonoscopies so they could get ahead of any potential diagnosis. He called that email a “sign from somewhere” that he had to share his own diagnosis on the show.
Bertrand said he was set to have an ablation procedure, and that he planned to be back on the show on Wednesday ahead of the New England Patriots’ season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
About Tyler Lauletta
Tyler is a editorial contributor at Awful Announcing, with previous stops at Sports Illustrated and Business Insider during his career covering sports in digital media. He is, begrudgingly, a Truster of the Process and general Philly sports sicko.