Olympian Scott Hamilton Updates Fans About His Lifelong Cancer Battle

Television | Celebrity

Olympian Scott Hamilton Updates Fans About His Lifelong Cancer Battle

If you followed figure skating in the 1980s, you'll remember that Scott Hamilton was one of the sport's toughest competitors.

Not only did he win Olympic bronze and gold medals back to back in 1980 and 1984, Hamilton was also both the World Figure Skating Champion and the National Champion for four years in a row.

Hamilton in the 1980s.AllTimeBest

But longtime fans will know Hamilton has faced his toughest challenge off the ice. The Olympian has been plagued by cancer diagnoses multiple times, including multiple brain tumors.

Hamilton in 2018.WKRN

"I have a unique hobby of collecting life-threatening illness," Hamilton told People about his most recent case in 2016. "It's six years later, and it decided that it wanted an encore."

Hamilton's health troubles actually began when he was just two years old. He mysteriously stopped growing and had trouble digesting food. Figure skating actually helped improve his condition, but to this day Hamilton is only 5'3".

Hamilton was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1997.People

Then, in 1997, he received the tragic news that he had testicular cancer. Doctors told Hamilton he had actually been born with the disease, meaning he won his Olympic medals while living with cancer.

While Hamilton's tumor was treated with chemotherapy and surgery, that was the beginning, not the end, of his health crisis.

Hamilton is still working as a figure skating commentator and an activist, but he retired from figure skating himself in 2001.

Hamilton is still commentating on Olympic figure skating. NBC

Shortly after his retirement, doctors told Hamilton he had a benign brain tumor. The growth shrank after being treated with surgery in 2004. But just six years later Hamilton was back in the operating room, to remove yet another benign brain tumor.

Fans hoped that Hamilton would remain in remission, but it wasn't meant to be. In 2016, doctors found a third benign, pituitary tumor on his brain. The Olympian was preparing for surgery once again when he received some incredible news.

Defying explanation, his third tumor shrank without any treatment.

"The nature of them is to grow, and without treatment, they have no reason to shrink," Hamilton told People in 2016.

"So I was the recipient of a spectacular miracle. I'm keeping an eye on it, and there's no treatment needed at this time."

Hamilton and his wife Tracie had two biological children and two adopted children from Haiti.People

Hamilton says his special cancer-fighting diet may have helped - he cut sugar out of his diet and added essential oils and supplements - but mainly he credits God with his recovery.

He remembers asking his surgeon "Can you explain this?" about the good news.

"He just smiled and looked at me and goes, "˜God.' That's it. Whoa. I was just a blubbering mess, like, "˜I'm not worthy of this.'"

We're all praying that Hamilton stays healthy from now on!

[H/T: CNN, People]

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