Hall of Fame sports broadcaster and V Foundation for Cancer Research board member, Dick Vitale, announces the release of his new book, “Until My Last Breath: Fighting Cancer with My Young Heroes".
Dick Vitale releases new book to benefit his V Foundation pediatric cancer research fund https://t.co/wMR518Jcjl pic.twitter.com/Wwuf9u0u4n
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 5, 2024
This unique release is not only about his personal trials with cancer but also has a philanthropic purpose – benefiting the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund.
Vitale"s annual fundraising gala broke records in its 18th edition last year, raising a whopping $12.4 million to benefit this fund, pushing the lifetime total to $68.1 million.
Vitale"s philanthropic endeavors don"t stop at book sales. His latest “Basketball Bash" raffle aims to boost the fund, drawing a winner for the chance to watch a Sweet Sixteen game at Vitale"s residence and be part of this year"s gala.
This compelling book focuses on Vitale"s recent confrontations with cancer and his deep connection with the kids his fund supports. In December, he was declared cancer-free.
In Vitale’s own words, “Until My Last Breath: Fighting Cancer with My Young Heroes" unfolds his journey into the world of resilience and courage.
Vitale, who has a remarkable 45 seasons with ESPN as a college basketball analyst, candidly narrates his episodes with melanoma, lymphoma, and vocal-cord cancer.
He provides an intense account of his struggle when he couldn"t speak for four months as he healed from vocal cord cancer treatments.
More than his own story, Vitale shares the heartening narratives of his “All-Courageous Team" – young ones who have battled cancer valiantly.
These mini-heroes have been his beacon of inspiration, their stories intertwined with lessons of hope and determination.
"Regardless of the health obstacles I faced in my own life over the last few years, my mission remains unchanged: continue fighting every single day for children with cancer," said Vitale. "This book came about when I couldn’t speak, but knew I still needed to use my voice to support these kids. My All-Courageous Team has made me the proudest and most inspired coach on the planet. They are the true PTPers of this book."
Vitale"s dedication to the pediatric cancer research cause became his life"s mission in 2021, with him stating, “raising money for pediatric cancer research was the story of my life now".
"I’m totally obsessed with raising dollars for kids battling cancer. My life is now in its final chapter, and the people who have been so good to me over the years, fans, ESPN, all the people I’ve worked with over 42 years, that’s half of my life now with ESPN. I’ve had a lot of success and a lot of honors have come my way, Hall of Fames and broadcasting and basketball and various others. I just feel that at this state of my life, I want to give back. I love young kids, I love young people.
"For me, really when I got obsessed about [pediatric cancer research] was that we had a neighbor here, a beautiful young girl named Payton Wright, who lost her life to cancer. [Vitale wrote about her for ESPN.com.] That was about 15 years ago. This is going to be the 15th year of my gala, and one of my first galas was dedicated to Payton and raised a million dollars to battle the kind of cancer [medulloepithelioma, a rare type of brain cancer] that she lost her life to. When I went to the funeral, I was emotionally a wreck, watching the mom and dad. They were in their 30s with three beautiful kids, a great life, and all of a sudden, bam.
…"People wonder why I’m so obsessed, and I tell them ‘I’ve spoken at several funerals.’ I’ve spoken all over the country through the Washington Speakers Bureau for many years, corporate lineups, black-tie events, political banquets, you name it. The toughest speech ever, ever, is when a parent asks you to speak at a funeral for their child. …[Raising money to help sick kids] is not just a one-time thing, it’s the story of my life now."
His new book is yet another testament to his unwavering commitment to the cause, with the royalty proceeds tagged for donation.
