The world of sports talk radio is filled with a wide variety of characters, many of them screaming at both listeners and each other. ESPN 1000’s Marc Silverman isn’t one of those characters, and neither does his co-host Tom Waddle, which is a big reason Waddle & Silvy has been a mainstay since 2007.
Silverman celebrated twenty years at the station in 2018, and he’s always been fairly frank and open about his personal life as well. Which meant his news yesterday wasn’t out of character at all, though it was certainly still a shock to many.
Pull up a chair please…
— Silvy (@WaddleandSilvy) April 21, 2020
At the top of the last hour of the program, Silverman talked in detail about finding swollen lymph nodes, which led to an eventual diagnosis of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. (You can listen to that hour below.)
It’s a fairly sobering situation; Silverman noted that he didn’t really break down throughout the entire process until he was undergoing a biopsy with his wife unable to be with him due to COVID-19 procedures. He’ll begin a round of six chemotherapy treatments soon.
“The one reason why I want to tell everybody this is because, a) I’ve always been an open book. And b) because I want to talk about it with our fans, friends and on this show with this special bond we have with Tom Waddle, Jeff Meller and Adam Abdalla. Because if I’m not able to share with my closest friends, then I’m going to be a complete wreck.”
Silverman received an outpouring of support via social media, from fans and colleagues alike.
Holler if you need anything bud. All the best from our team.
— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) April 21, 2020
You have a whole city behind you, Silvy! Time to kick ass. #SilvyStrong
— Kevin Kaduk (@KevinKaduk) April 21, 2020
You have the entire city behind you ❤️ You're going to beat this
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) April 22, 2020
Much love, man. Positive energy coming your way (and anything else we can do!).
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) April 21, 2020
You, once it’s over. My MIL had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for over a decade and beat it. You can do it. pic.twitter.com/0thekaXwtd
— Sandra Marchetti (@sandrapoetry) April 21, 2020
Silverman acknowledged the effect the support had on him, as well:
I didn’t really cry all day today, (that surprised me) then I started reading your messages.
Thank you for letting me share.
Thank you for caring.
My family & I appreciate all of your support.We’ve got this.
— Silvy (@WaddleandSilvy) April 22, 2020
All the best to Marc on a quick and full recovery.
[image via Good Karma Brands]
About Jay Rigdon
Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.