Dick Vitale said he’s cancer-free after his fourth bout with the disease in just over three years.
The 85-year-old ESPN college basketball analyst announced Thursday on social media that he got the news after a morning scan.
SANTA CLAUS came early as Dr Rick Brown called & said that my PET SCAN at 7 AM came back CLEAN OF CANCER ! OMG thanks so much to ALL of YOU for your 🙏🙏🙏Yes I’m cutting the nets down baby it’s my National Championship! @TheMontagGroup @jksports @TheVCEO @ESPNPR @ @WSB_Speakers pic.twitter.com/XGa1bJ8pzu
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) December 12, 2024
Vitale had surgery in the summer to remove cancerous lymph nodes from his neck. He was previously treated for melanoma and lymphoma, and had radiation treatments last year for vocal cord cancer.
The Basketball Hall of Famer has been with ESPN since 1979, the year the network launched. The former college and NBA coach called ESPN’s first college basketball broadcast.
He’s also a longtime fundraiser for cancer research, helping friend Jim Valvano to the stage at the 1993 ESPYs, where Valvano delivered his famous “Don’t give up” speech. Valvano died of adenocarcinoma less than two months later.
Brides, families fighting for refunds after event venue closes suddenly
“We’ve struggled so hard to scrape the money to be able to do this for her,” Irizarry said. “She’s my only girl and I wanted this so much for her.”
Couples and families who had weddings and events planned at a well-known venue that abruptly closed claim they’re out thousands of dollars and aren’t being given refunds. Annette Irizarry was supposed to hold her 15-year-old daughter’s quinceañera in August at the Clearwater location and said she’s now out the $6,160 she paid. Without that money, Irizarry said she can’t afford to have her daughter’s celebration somewhere else.
