Longtime college basketball announcer Dick Vitale revealed Thursday that he was diagnosed with melanoma earlier this summer but is now “cancer free.”
Vitale, 82, wrote about his diagnosis in a post for ESPNFrontRow.com and encouraged others to get checked if they see an abnormal growth on their body, Sports Illustrated reported.
Vitale had surgery on June 28 to have the growth removed, according to Sports Illustrated. He then underwent four cosmetic procedures to “sew up the area on (his) face,” according to Bleacher Report.
“The bottom line is they removed all cancer cells, and I was relieved, big time, to be cancer clear,” Vitale wrote on ESPNFrontRow.com.
Vitale has been working at ESPN since the network began showing college games in December 1979. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
“If you take nothing else away from my personal cancer story, please remember this -- DON’T WASTE TIME!” Vitale wrote on ESPNFrontRow.com. “Specifically, if you notice any kind of growth, mole or skin abnormality, please get yourself checked out immediately. It’s important. I want to deliver that message loud and clear. I’m lucky.”
Vitale still managed to post up and deliver a few jokes.
“We all know I’m never going to look like Tom Cruise,” he said. “I’ve got no hair on my dome and I’ve got a body by linguini.”
However, Vitale turned serious when talking about recognizing the signs of cancer.
“Take care of you. If you see or feel something, even if it’s not bothering you or infected, get it evaluated,” Vitale wrote. “Melanoma is serious and it can spread to your organs. Doctors told me that a typical basal cell skin cancer is like getting gently brushed by a bicycle, while melanoma is like getting hit by a truck.
“Luckily, I took care of it when I did and I can’t stress enough that you all should do the same,” Vitale added. “That’s how I’m going to achieve my goal of sitting courtside calling a game when I’m 100 years old! The ultimate Triple Digit Dandy!”