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Cleveland Browns radio announcer, WKYC-TV sports director Jim Donovan has leukemia relapse
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- Cleveland Browns radio announcer, WKYC-TV sports director Jim Donovan has leukemia relapse
BEREA — Cleveland Browns radio play-by-play voice Jim Donovan announced Wednesday on Channel 3 News' "Front Row" he has suffered a relapse with leukemia and has resumed treatment.
Donovan stated on the show that concerns started to showcase themselves about a year-and-a-half ago. Since the diagnosis, he has been receiving various forms of chemotherapy.
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"This is going to be kind of a long and winding road through this treatment plan, because it is going to be aggressive," Donovan said on the show. "The goal is: gotta get better, gotta get healthy, gotta move on. I know the deal, I've done it before, and I plan to do it once again. Through all of this, I will be here at Channel 3 and on the radio as much as I can be. But there will be periods of time that I might not be with you, maybe for a day, maybe for longer."
Donovan was originally diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2000. He eventually had a bone-marrow transplant in the summer of 2011.
Voice of the Cleveland Browns Jim Donovan speaks during a news conference May 23, 2019, in Public Square to announce Cleveland as the host of the 2021 NFL draft.
Three months following the surgery, Donovan returned to his broadcasting duties on the Browns Radio Network. During Wednesday's announcement, he stated he would remain in his role with the Browns as long as he's able to do so.
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"Our thoughts and the thoughts of the entire organization are with Jim and his family right now in this difficult time," Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement on the team's website. "There is no better representative of the Cleveland Browns. He is as tough as they come and proved as much in his previous battle. We're all behind Jim and will do everything we can to support him. We look forward to him winning this fight, being around the team and continuing to call our games during the season."
Donovan did miss two games during the 2022 season for health reasons. He was under the weather for the Week 6 game against the New England Patriots , and he also missed the Week 11 game at the Miami Dolphins due to COVID.
Donovan has worked at Channel 3 since 1985. He also spent 11 years calling NFL games nationally on NBC, while also working the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jim Donovan of WKYC-TV, Cleveland Browns radio, reveals cancer relapse
