Saturday, April 13, 2013

Day 13: Get Well Soon, Jerry Remy!

In late 2008, long-time Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy was diagnosed with lung cancer most likely caused by years of smoking. He had surgery in November of that year to remove a cancerous area on his lung and ended up suffering from complications from the surgery and the disease—infection, a bout with pneumonia and depression. He ended up missing a substantial portion of the 2009 Red Sox season.

I call 2009 the dark days of Red Sox broadcasting...

The RemDawg has been working in the broadcast booth for more than half my life and without him, games just aren't the same. I do love Don Orsillo, but you don't realize how important the color guy is until you have to listen to Dennis Eckersley talk about a "the cheese." I was hard to make it through that season—both for the torturous "cheese" talk and worrying that Jerry wouldn't ever make it back to the booth.

So imagine my shock when, in an interview with NESN, he revealed to Tom Caron that he had recently been treated for a relapse of lung cancer. Nooooooooooooooo! The doctors have been treating him with radiation and hopefully he won't have to have surgery again.
"And right now I'm fine," Jerry said. "I always told the fans of New England I would be honest with them if things health-wise with me where not great. I know the last couple of years I've missed some games not because of this, but because of regular colds, bronchitis, whatever it may be, and I always told the fans that I'd be honest with them and what I'd gone through. Last time I had cancer and depression. This time I've been diagnosed with cancer, but it's under control."
Unlike with his first bout, Jerry's spirits are high this time around.
"I'm very upbeat and positive about it," he said. "I don't have the same reaction to it I has last time. It was all very new to me last time. Being in close contact with my doctors is very important, very reassuring to me."
If you've been watching the Red Sox early on this season, it sounds like Jerry isn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon. He and Don are at the top of their game and seem to be having more fun this year than in recent seasons.

Get well soon, RemDawg! I'm not ready for life without you in the booth just yet.

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