12 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED | SI.COM
SCORECARDchecked every three months.
Then, a few weeks later came
more serious news. Vitale was
diagnosed with lymphoma.
His treatment entails intense
chemotherapy sessions and
Neupogen shots to elevate white
blood cells. On this particular day,
he writes, the side effects were
severe pain in the bones & lots
of aching.
He has been, characteristically,
open on social media, detailing what
he calls the “constant battle” of his
cancer treatments. The sharing has
been therapeutic, and he hopes that
more attention means more research
money: It is a constant journey & this
is what I am trying to get across by
being transparent. It is why $$$ are
needed so that thru research much
of what takes place....It is not justthe chemotherapy & radiation that
patients deal with. It is the scans,
bloodwork, blood counts, & the
constant visits to the Lab.
In the fall, Vitale’s various counts
and levels fell into an acceptable
range. But after calling five games
in 12 days, his voice was shot. He
figured it might be laryngitis.
It was not.
When Vitale visited
Dr. Steven Zeitels, a voice
rehabilitation specialist, there
was good news and bad news.
Lesions were the culprit, unrelated
to the cancer or chemo. But
Zeitels explained that Vitale’s
inf lammation was so severe, he
needed to spend this hoops season
on the vocal equivalent of bed rest.
Or as Vitale put it: I had to give my
voice a T.O., Baby...that meantI had no shot of working during
March Madness. Needless to say
that tore out my heart, but I must
care more about my health than
jump shots.
So it is that Vitale has spent this
season toggling between his Florida
home and Sarasota Memorial
Hospital’s oncology ward. When
he’s not walking with Lorraine,
he’s watched more basketball than
ever. And he’s happy to share some
observations. Does Dick Vitale
have unsolicited opinions about the
Duke–Notre Dame game airing that
night on ESPN? Of course he does:
My VBDI (vitale bald dome index)FEEL THE LOVE, BABY
V is adored by Dukies (above, in
2006) and Lorraine (opposite).BOB (^) R
OS
AT
O