Jon Wallach, who has been a daily part of the “Toucher and Rich” morning drive program since 98.5 The Sports Hub’s beginning as a sports station a decade ago, announced that he is taking medical leave from the show due to surgery to remove a benign tumor behind his ear.
Wallach said he’d noticed over the summer that he was losing hearing in his right ear. He informed his doctor and underwent several tests, he said without finding a solution. Finally, an MRI at Mass General revealed the tumor behind his right eardrum. He was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma.
“An acoustic neuroma 99 times out of a hundred is benign, and fortunately for me it is benign as well,’’ he said.
Wallach, the third voice along with hosts Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenleib as well as the update voice, made the announcement in the show’s final minutes Wednesday.
He explained that after getting a second opinion he chose the option of surgery over radiation and will undergo the procedure Friday morning.
“It’s not an easy surgical procedure,’’ he said. “The surgery is nine hours long and I’ll be laid up for at least a month and probably six weeks. For that reason I’m going to have to take a leave of absence from the program.
“It’s hurts to do this because I love coming here every day, but it’s necessary, unfortunately.”
Chad Finn can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeChadFinn.