From the bubble to the booth? 49ers’ voice Greg Papa hopeful of broadcasting last two games

Can Greg Papa go from the bubble to the booth?

The Bay Area broadcast icon is hopeful of resuming his role as radio voice of the 49ers for the last two games of the regular season as he recovers from leukemia that was diagnosed in July, leaving him hospitalized for 23 days and in fear for his life.

“I was yellow. My eyes were yellow, my skin was yellow,” Papa said in a phone interview Thursday. “I lost 20 pounds in three days. I didn’t know if I was going to live at that point.”

Through rounds of immunotherapy and two cycles of chemotherapy, Papa is feeling better and sees a window of opportunity to get back in the booth before undergoing a potential bone marrow transplant that, in theory, will be the final step in his recovery.

“I’ve spoken to medical people at UCSF, and a lot of them think I can do it, but my hematologist must approve it,” Papa said. “I feel like I can execute the call of the game, my vision is strong enough, my mind is strong enough, I could do it now. It’s not a gravely dangerous situation anymore.”

Confined to his Danville home in a protective “bubble” and with a dangerously low white blood cell count, Papa went back on the air remotely on Sept. 16 with co-host Greg Silver on the “Papa and Silver” show on KNBR from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. He grew a scraggly beard — called his “cancer beard” because he couldn’t shave (or use dental floss) for fear of a cut which could lead to bleeding and a lethal infection.

Papa was told at the time of his diagnosis that he wouldn’t be able to drive or travel for a year. But he’s back behind the wheel for short distances to pick up his meds, has dined in a few restaurants and has even gone to the movies because his labs have come back so positive.

It’s much different than five months ago, when leukemia was discovered in his spinal column and brain, and the chemotherapy was applied through a lumbar puncture.

“I’m not the boy in the bubble,” Papa said. “I could never leave home, and it’s not like that anymore. All my labs were dangerously low for months, and they’re all in the green now. All the significant ones are normal. I’m in a different place now.”

Papa, 63, recently resumed medication for a hereditary heart condition he learned about three years ago. The break in taking that medication paused plans for a mid-November bone marrow transplant, which was delayed indefinitely.

The biggest hurdle in getting a bone marrow transplant has already been cleared. Finding a donor can be difficult, but Papa’s older brother, Ray, and younger sister, Judy, were perfect matches.

“My mom and dad are both gone, but they would be amazed to watch one of their children save the other child’s life,” Papa said.

When the transplant is scheduled, Judy will have blood and marrow extracted on the East Coast. It will be flown in for Greg to undergo a grueling procedure that will leave him hospitalized for a month and have him back in a protective bubble at home.

“They basically take all the immunity out of your body and take you down to zero,” Papa said. “It’s almost like they take you down to death, put my sister’s blood and marrow in me, and bring me back to life.

“If I’d had it in mid-November, there’s no way I could have even considered coming back this year.”

While there are no guarantees Papa’s body will accept the transplant, it’s considered the best way to keep him in remission with the smallest possibility of relapse.

In the meantime, why not do what he’s done his whole life? He and 49ers director of broadcasting Bob Sargent began discussing the possibility of Papa returning to the broadcast booth alongside analyst Tim Ryan, possibly for the playoffs. The 49ers are 9-4 and currently the No. 6 seed, making a first-round home game unlikely.

Then Sargent, Papa said, had an idea.

“He said, `What do you think about doing the last two home games? You don’t have to travel,'” Papa said. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

The 49ers play this afternoon against the Tennessee Titans and then visit Indianapolis on Monday night, Dec. 22. Papa’s target dates would be on Sunday night, Dec. 28, against the Chicago Bears and Sunday, Jan. 4, against the Seattle Seahawks, a game expected to be loaded with playoff ramifications.

It will be up to doctors whether Papa gets the opportunity.

“It’s important for me to do, but it’s not the be-all and the end-all,” Papa said. “My health is more important.”

Papa arrived in the Bay Area in 1986 at age 24, initially doing radio play-by-play for the Golden State Warriors. He was the voice of the Oakland Raiders from 1997 through 2018 and has done local television for both the A’s and Giants. He started calling 49ers games in 2019 after a split with Raiders owner Mark Davis, who moved the team to Las Vegas.

Papa’s road to recovery has touched many people he worked with at those organizations, as well as the fan bases of those teams. His cell phone has been buzzing nonstop since the 49ers announced Papa’s condition, and Papa and his son, Derek, a KNBR radio host, talked about it on the air on Aug. 1.

Besides 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, just about everyone on the Bay Area sports and broadcasting scene has reached out.

“It gives me a reason to get better, but at times it’s a little overwhelming,” Papa said.

Papa has reconnected with some college friends from Syracuse, and a group of high school buddies put together a fantasy football league to help keep Papa’s mind occupied during his bubble period.

While Papa’s split with the Raiders was acrimonious, Davis has reached out more than once to see how he’s doing.

“He invited me to Las Vegas to light the Al Davis torch,” Papa said. “When something like this happens, you even connect with people you’ve had some tough interactions with.”

Medical visits this week will determine whether a return to the 49ers broadcast booth this season is a possibility. Even if it happens, Papa realizes the fight is far from over.

“I’m fine, but I’m not there yet,” Papa said.