BOSTON — Sarasota-based ESPN broadcasting legend Dick Vitale confirmed on Thursday that he will undergo his first of two vocal surgeries on Tuesday in Boston.
In a Facebook post, Vitale wrote the surgery would be completed at Massachusetts General Hospital by Dr Steven Zeitels. Vitale said after the surgery he would be on vocal cord rest for six to eight weeks.
"Obviously it is very frustrating not being able to communicate in normal fashion. I have stayed active by utilizing my dry erase board as my method of expressing myself," Vitale wrote.
He said his fear is going under anesthesia at his age, which is 84.
"I have great confidence in Dr Zeitels who has received many honors as a vocal cord surgeon," Vitale said.
In the post, he thanked his supporters and said he is "hoping and praying" that he'll be ready to get behind the mic on ESPN for the 2023- 2024 basketball season.
Vitale has been a broadcaster with ESPN since 1979, commentating during the network's first-ever major NCAA basketball game.
Last year in August, Vitale shared he was officially cancer free after receiving major results of a PET scan.
Vitale received treatment at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. In April 2022, his doctor gave him the all-clear to ring the bell marking the end of his cancer treatments.