Venerable ESPN college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale is on the comeback trail.
The 84-year-old Vitale released an emotional video to Tampa Bay Times reporter Joey Knight on Monday, revealing that it was the first time he has spoken in seven months while battling vocal cord cancer, as well as his plans to return to the broadcast booth on Nov. 28 when Miami faces Kentucky at the Rupp Arena in Lexington.
“This is the first time I’ve been able to speak,” Vitale said in the video. “I’m gonna do it in moderation for the next couple weeks … I’m emotional. I’m excited. I didn’t speak, you gotta understand, for seven months. You’re the first people hearing my voice in a long, long time.”
Vitale tossed the video to Dr. Steven Zeitels, who is director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation.
Dr. Zeitels explained that Vitale’s radiotherapy has gone “remarkably well” and that his “tissues have all healed.”
“At this point, he can start using his voice,” the doctor continued. “He’ll see how long it takes to recover. We had planned to look under the microscope in the operating room [Tuesday], but it looks so terrific that we are going to wait on that because I see no evidence of the cancer whatsoever.”
Dr. Zeitels said that they may have to do an endoscopic procedure to “enhance” Vitale’s voice at a later date, but the prognosis is good.
“Given the remarkable recovery he’s had in the last few weeks, the best pathway now is patience, and let’s see how Dick can heal himself and get back to what he loves to do,” he said.
Vitale previously fought melanoma and Lymphoma, and celebrated the news last April that he was cancer-free.
Vitale revealed his vocal cancer diagnosis this past July and completed radiation in September.