16 February 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The Wichita State University Shockers men’s basketball team traveled to North Carolina for two road games this week, but one member of the team was missing.
Mike Kennedy, the voice of the Shockers, has to miss a couple of games because he’s receiving treatment for prostate cancer. Kennedy is going through radiation and hormone therapy.
“I found out for sure right before Christmas that it was cancer,” Mike Kennedy said. “It came up in a routine blood test at a routine physical. And so I got the diagnosis right before Christmas, did a PET scan in mid-January to determine that it hadn’t spread anywhere outside of the prostate. And then began treatment about the last week in January.”
Kennedy says it was a little daunting to get the official diagnosis, but he feels good through treatment so far.
“I guess cancer’s always a little scary, but everything points to the fact that we caught it early enough that I certainly have a good chance of having a positive outcome. And I feel fine. That’s the thing, if I didn’t know I had something I wouldn’t even suspect. And so it hasn’t really altered how I do anything because I feel normal every day,” Kennedy said.
He adds that the response he’s gotten from people ever since he made the public announcement Thursday has been tremendous.
“The response that I got from people last night after the announcement was out there publicly has just been overwhelming. It’s one of the most gratifying things I’ve ever experienced,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy says while his career has lasted 44 years and over 1,419 consecutive games, he knew he made the right call to skip these two for the sake of his health.
“It did feel strange, but the funny thing is it wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be. Because I knew I was making the right decision. And as proud as I’ve been of that streak, it seems relatively unimportant when you’re considering your health and what’s the best option. And so it wasn’t as strange or as difficult as I thought it might be. And I will say that it turned out to be, and it sounds strange, one of the best days of my life,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy says if everything goes as planned, he should finish treatment in March.
“On the schedule now, I would do the last radiation treatment on the day we leave for Fort Worth, and I hope that that continues,” Kennedy said.
He mentions they caught it early enough that he feels good about the future.
“We certainly caught it early enough that it gives me the opportunity to have a real shot at a positive outcome,” Kennedy said.
He also wants other men to know it’s important to keep up with your health even if you feel fine.
“I’ve said publicly, my wife pushed me to make sure I get regular check-ups and I would like to use this as an opportunity to get that message out there to all men to just make the effort to get yourself checked regularly because it can really make a big difference,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy will miss Sunday’s game against Charlotte but hopes to be back behind the mic for Wednesday’s home game against Tulsa.