Figure Skater Scott Hamilton’s Cancer Battle in His Own Words

Olympic determine skater Scott Hamilton has been candid about his well being battle since getting recognized with most cancers for the primary time in 1997.

Years after his 1984 gold medal win on the Olympic video games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, Hamilton revealed that he had been recognized with testicular most cancers. Following surgical procedure and remedy to shrink the tumor in his stomach, Hamilton was in remission by late 1997.

Years later, nevertheless, he was recognized with mind most cancers for the primary time in 2004 and for the second time in 2010 — present process mind surgical procedure each occasions. Hamilton introduced in 2016 that he had a 3rd mind tumor.

“I’ve a singular pastime of accumulating life-threatening sickness,” Hamilton joked to People on the time. “It’s six years later, and it determined that it wished an encore.”

Hamilton later revealed that he was now not getting remedy.

“When they gave me the analysis, they mentioned, it’s again,” Hamilton advised People in February 2024, recalling the 2016 analysis. “And so, they introduced in this man, a extremely younger, gifted surgeon, and he mentioned, ‘We may do the surgical procedure once more. It’d be difficult, however we’ve acquired actually gifted folks right here that we may convey in, and I do know we may pull it off if that’s an possibility for you.’”

Instead of doing the surgical procedure, Hamilton felt it in his “spirit” to “go house and get sturdy” — which he has continued to do.

Keep scrolling to learn Hamilton’s most cancers battle in his personal phrases:

How It Impacted His Skating Career

After treating testicular most cancers as an “inconvenience” somewhat than an sickness in the late Nineteen Nineties, Hamilton returned to determine skating.

”I wish to retire by myself phrases,” he advised The New York Times in 1997. ”I don’t need sickness or this episode to cease me from skating.”

Battling Two Brain Tumors in the 2000s

“The first mind tumor knocked me down,” Hamilton advised Coping Magazine in 2018 of the preliminary 2004 analysis. “Things didn’t appear proper [again]” along with his second mind tumor in 2010, Hamilton recalled.

“I suppose that was a premonition. The surgical procedure to take away the tumor had a complication that created an aneurism,” he mentioned. “After the obliteration of the aneurism, I went again to life extra diminished than my earlier two well being adventures.”

The third Brain Tumor Diagnosis

Hamilton felt “extra in management” in 2016 when medical doctors recognized him with a 3rd mind tumor. “I approached this journey with calmness and a greater understanding of the method,” he advised Coping Magazine.

Celebrating Life — Rather than Undergoing Treatment

After his 2016 analysis, Hamilton recalled making his resolution to forgo remedy.

“It’s been exceptional,” he advised People in February 2024. “I went again to the scan three months later and so they mentioned, it hasn’t grown. I am going again three months later and so they go, it shrank 45%. I mentioned to my surgeon, ‘Can you clarify this?’ And he mentioned, ‘God.’ I went again in, and it shrunk 25% once more.”

How COVID-19 Changed Things

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, his tumor “had grown” nevertheless it was “nearly not possible” for Hamilton to go to the hospital.

“In my spirit, in my interior being, I spotted, I’m completely at peace with not even taking a look at it once more until I develop into symptomatic,” he advised People.