Olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton admits that he has a “hobby of collecting life-threatening illness.” So, though his latest diagnosis might be a shock, he is ready to face it. Earlier this year, Hamilton was diagnosed with another brain tumor, his third since 2004.
The 58-year-old skater was diagnosed with testicular cancer back in 1997, which he overcame. Shortly after in 2004, he was diagnosed with a benign pituitary tumor, which he battled against, and then battled again in 2010.
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“It’s six years later, and it decided that it wanted an encore,” Hamilton said of his new tumor.
The discovery of the latest tumor came during a routine check-up as Hamilton has not been suffering any symptoms. As of now, he is exploring all of his treatment options before deciding how to tackle this latest illness.
“I’ll tell anybody that will listen: If you’re ever facing anything, get as many opinions as you possibly can,” he said. “The more you truly understand what you’re up against, the better decision you’re going to make.”
Of course, this latest diagnosis can be a bit of a shock to his family as well. He said that when his oldest biological son, Aidan, 13, asked if his tumor was back, Hamilton simply said, “Yeah, it is! And here we go again” trying to set a certain tone around his diagnosis. Simply put, he has to take care of it, so he will.
“I’ve been blessed beyond my wildest imagination,” Hamilton said. “Last round, in 2010, I told [my wife] ‘God doesn’t owe me a day. I’m good. Whatever’s next is next.’”
Now that Hamilton has retired from competitive figure skating, he teaches the next generation how to skate. One of the first and most important lessons he teaches his students is how to get up. He believes that learning how to get up is not only essential to skating, but to life, because life will always push you down, and you will eventually have to get back up.
“The more times you get up, the stronger you are to face the next thing, which will happen,” he said. “Because that’s life.”
[H/T People]
