Dick Vitale – Remembering Jim Valvano today, this week and every day after

I’m excited to be calling the Iowa-Duke game on Tuesday at the Mecca of college basketball, Madison Square Garden. It is part of the Jimmy V Classic.

More than ever, after battling melanoma and lymphoma, going through the chemotherapy, the scans and blood work, my heart goes out to every cancer patient out there. I know what they go through. The messages and letters of support were so vital in my recovery.

The Jimmy V Classic is always special, and having four ranked teams in action is thrilling. Texas and Illinois will meet in the second game. It will be fun to see Kris Murray, Tyrese Hunter, Dereck Lively, Terrence Shannon and others in action.

This is an important week at ESPN. The annual Jimmy V week helps raise funds to battle the dreaded disease of cancer. I ask from the bottom of my heart for everyone to please donate if you can. You could help save someone you love.

The problem is, cancer never ends. We will not stop chasing the dream of eliminating cancer. I am currently cancer free, it doesn’t stop. I still have to do scans and exams and bloodwork. We need dollars, so please help. You can go to www.v.org/donate or dickvitaleonline.com to help. 100 percent of donations go directly to cancer research.

It is hard to believe that Jim Valvano has been gone for almost 30 years – the dreaded disease which took his life prematurely in May of 1993. His legacy lives on as we fight cancer. And we have made progress.

The V Foundation has raised millions of dollars, and it has helped, but there is still a long way to go. The grants have helped cure numerous cancers and the progress is great.

Jimmy was such a special person. I cannot believe he has been gone so long. We must beat this disease which impacts so many lives.

I’ve heard so many stories of people whose families have been affected by cancer. The good news is the progress made to improve this fight. There is still a long way to go.

Jimmy and I shared a passion for life. We both had such love for our families and had such a great time working together in the ESPN studio. I remember the laughs we had doing work during the tournament.

Some fans will look at Jimmy V’s legacy through basketball as his Wolfpack cut down the nets in Albuquerque as national champions in one of the greatest upsets ever. It was so memorable in 1983, ending with Lorenzo Charles’ winning basket, which lives on in the minds of fans who love Cinderella stories.

I believe his legacy lives on in this valiant battle against cancer. That is…