Renowned Scott Hamilton has confronted numerous challenges throughout his life, from mastering skating as a child to coping with the loss of his mother to breast cancer in 1977.
The Olympic legend also faced testicular cancer in 1997, overcoming it through surgery and chemotherapy.
In 2016, Hamilton confronted his fears once more upon learning that a pituitary tumor in his brain had resurfaced for the third time. Now, he’s given a devastating update on his condition… Keep reading to learn more.
Scott Hamilton’s cancer journey
“When they gave me the diagnosis, they said, it’s back,” the gold medalist told People. “And so they brought in this guy, a really young, talented surgeon, and he said, ‘We could do the surgery again. It’d be complicated, but we’ve got really talented people here that we could bring in, and I know we could pull it off if that’s an option for you.’”
Though, having undergone surgery twice before, first in 2004 when initially diagnosed with a brain tumor, and then again in 2010 upon its recurrence, he was apprehensive about facing a similar ordeal, per Men’s Journal.
“The second time around proved to be extremely complicated,” he shared, recalling nine subsequent surgeries after an artery in his brain was nicked. Determined to avoid a repeat scenario, Hamilton resolved to focus on regaining his strength. “All I felt was just, don’t worry about this. Just go home and get strong,” he asserted.
Subsequently, Hamilton’s decision yielded positive results. “It’s been remarkable,” he said. “I went back to the scan three months later and they said, it hasn’t grown. I go back three months later and they go, it shrank 45%.”
A devastating update
However, subsequent scans revealed growth in the tumor. Unlike previous health scares, he chose not to pursue treatment, and is now feeling confident in his decision, per Fox News.
“All I felt was just, don’t worry about this. Just go home and get strong. They go, ‘Well, what do you want to do?’ And I said, ‘I think I’m going to go home and get strong,’” he said.
Reflecting on his journey, Hamilton says that there is still some uncertainty surrounding his plan, and that perhaps he will address the tumor when it became necessary. “The ace I have up my sleeve is that now there is a targeted radiation therapy that will shrink the tumor,” he explained.
Celebrating his 65th birthday this year and commemorating the 40th anniversary of his gold medal win at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, Hamilton is grateful for his life’s accomplishments, as well as his family.
Reflecting on his family, Hamilton said he was still in awe at the unexpected blessings life has given him. “I never would’ve thought to dream any of it,” he said, expressing gratitude for his children and wife, as well as the opportunities to give back to his sport and support cancer research.
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