At 3:16 a.m. on Jan. 22, Nick Bahe became a father. Less than four hours later, he had a doctor’s appointment regarding his own health.
“You go from this euphoric state of laying eyes on your baby for the first time to talking to the doctors about potentially maybe having cancer,” said Bahe, the former state championship quarterback at Lincoln Southeast and Creighton basketball guard.
Bahe, the host of “Game Time” on 1620 The Zone, announced during Tuesday’s show that he’ll miss radio duties for a couple of weeks because of a tumor in his thymus gland.
Surgery was scheduled for Wednesday. Doctors will remove the gland, at which point tests will reveal whether the tumor is cancerous.
Bahe’s symptoms, primarily nausea and dizziness, started in early November. Winter is his busiest season because he’s a color analyst for Creighton and Big East basketball. Bahe recalled one pre-game interview with his play-by-play partner and Villanova’s coach.
“I’m sitting with Tim Brando and Jay Wright at one shoot-around and my whole thought was, just don’t puke on Jay Wright,” Bahe said on “Game Time.” “I wasn’t listening to a word he was saying.”
A series of tests revealed that Bahe had suffered two strokes in his cerebellum, he said. He’s been participating in vestibular rehabilitation, retraining the balance system in his brain. Meanwhile, he’s maintained a hectic work schedule.
“It’s been probably the most challenging stretch of months of my entire life,” Bahe said, fighting back tears.
“You hear the word ‘cancer’ and it shakes you pretty good. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared, because I am. But here’s the thing: the only thing you have control over is your state of mind.
“I could choose to tap into the fear and scary thoughts in my mind. I can make that choice. But I’ve tried really hard and I’m continuing to try really hard to tap into the positive, optimistic part of my mind.”
Credit to Omaha.com who originally published this article
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
