Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton decided to “get strong” after learning that a pituitary tumor in his brain had returned for the third time. Having fought the disease for years, he is opting out of treatment.
Scott Hamilton is a famous figure skater, having won four world championship titles and an Olympic gold medal in 1984. Sports challenges are not the only ones he has had to overcome. The skater has been fighting an on-and-off battle with cancer since 1997.
In a recent interview, the figure skater revealed his decision not to pursue treatment after the tumor returned and the reason behind it.
“It had grown,” said Hamilton, “in my spirit, in my inner being, I realized I’m totally at peace with not even looking at it again unless I become symptomatic.”
Hamilton first faced testicular cancer in 1997 and recovered after chemotherapy and surgery. His first brain cancer diagnosis came in 2004, and it returned in 2010. The treatment became a complicated ordeal when it took nine surgeries to repair a nicked artery in his brain.
He didn’t want a repeat of that experience after being informed the pituitary tumor had returned for a third time in 2016. So, Hamilton decided to “go home and get strong,” which initially brought good news during check-ups.
“I went back to the scan three months later, and they said it hadn’t grown. I go back three months later, and they say it shrank 45%. I said to my surgeon, ‘Can you explain this?’ And he said, ‘God.’ I went back in, and it shrunk 25% again,” he explained.
The next check-up had less favorable results, as he added, “It had grown, and then COVID hit, and going into any kind of hospital situation was almost impossible. So in my spirit, in my inner being, I realized I’m totally at peace with not even looking at it again unless I become symptomatic.”
His family quarantined with Hamilton and supported him through the pandemic. Hamilton married his wife Tracie Hamilton in 2002, after beating his first diagnosis. Later they had four kids together, two biological – Jean and Aiden, and two adopted, Evelyne and Maxx.
When asked about his experience of quarantining with the kids, Hamilton said, “It’s been really beautiful for that, being around the table every night having dinner.”
“School’s back in session and the kids are getting busy with their activities, though. My daughter’s playing soccer, and she had a game last night. We’ll get through this,” reassured Hamilton. “I wore a T-shirt last night that said, ‘This too shall pass,’ and I believe that. Nothing is ever permanent.”
Hamilton understands that some people cannot get behind a plan of not treating a brain tumor, but he also acknowledges that he may eventually seek help.”I don’t know, I’m mostly trying to be in the moment and taking all the information and do the right thing when the time comes,” shared Hamilton.
Overall, he is happy with how life turned out for him. He could have never dreamed of winning a gold Olympic medal, beating cancer several times, and even funding his cancer organization.
“I never would’ve thought to dream any of the things that have happened to me,” he said. “And to have my children and just how amazing they are, and my wife and how amazing she is? I never would’ve thought to dream any of it,” shared Hamilton about his life journey.